I just want to thank Sean Croxton for asking me to present at Paleo Summit today. The ideas discussed began with a podcast I did with Jimmy Moore, #474. Before I begin here today, I strongly suggest you listen to the Jimmy Moore podcast I did in May of 2011 as a primer for this blog post. It’s going to be a long one, so open a glass of wine as the sun sets tonight. However, I think you need to hear it all tonight since I have your attention from the Paleo Summit. I have planned for this day for some time. I am humbled to share this with you all. It was hard for me to write.

If any of you remember when I first gave my initial thoughts on leptin publicly, it was on a podcast I did with Jimmy Moore in May 2011. I discussed the things that transformed my thinking back then. Most of the time I spent with Jimmy, we talked about leptin. In the beginning of the podcast, I mentioned a person who saw me injure myself as I stood up to give a lecture, and told me she knew precisely why I hurt my knee. At the time, I thought I had a good handle on these modern medicine principles she mentioned so I was a skeptical of her thoughts. She told me when I got home she was going to send me a few papers and a book to read. The book was called “The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari.” She was emphatic that I read the book before the papers. Then, she told me to read six specific papers in the order they were numbered and then reflect on what I had just read.

She wanted me to make connections because she knew me personally and how I think about science and biology. She knew about my childhood and, how I felt about that too. She confided to me later that year, that because she knew this information I would make the necessary connections to solve my own problems. Honestly, that knee injury was the best thing that ever happened in my life. Her primal instincts to share with me was probably the second best thing. What has happened since then to me is a story for the opening of Paleo Fx in Austin in two weeks.

My brain thinks horizontally and vertically. Most people work in the vertical dimension because of how we are taught to think in modern times. This method of education leads physicians, scientists, and most of the world to a habit or thinking reductively about all things. We all need to rethink how we think about all things, as I spoke about today in my talk with Sean. In addition, I was not born with this ability to think horizontally or vertically. I taught myself how to do it as a kid, when I learned how Einstein, DaVinci, and Michelangelo thought. Instinctively, I knew I had no one around me that thought like this because no one was as successful as them. My mom knew this too, but she never told me back then. She was always afraid of life, but she taught me that fear freezes you until you stop cowering to it. She told me that life begins at the edge of our comfort zone, but too often our fears keep us from going there. It was also implied by our circumstances back then. We had to rely on others to survive, and they made sure we knew about it in many subtle ways. Even as a kid I could feel that and it was uneasy. I learned a lot from this time. This did not sit well with me as a child, and it fueled my curiosity. I told my mom in first grade that I never wanted to live like this when I grew up. She told me that if I wanted to change my lot in life I had to learn things and begin to create my own reality. I can hear her saying that as I type these words with tears in my eyes. It was the greatest gift my mother ever gave to me. I am sad that I never told her that before she died. I am also sad that she never saw the true power of that lesson unleashed. Ironically, what I uncovered here might have allowed her to do just that, if I would have begun it sooner. That is a regret I will have to live with. I am hoping to close that wound by sharing it with all of you now.

In second grade, I thought that if I wanted to be good at life I had to learn to think like the best thinkers I knew of. My mom told me the best thinker’s ideas all lived in museums. I lived in NYC, so I had plenty of mentors to study from. My mom used to give me $1, and I would use 35 cents each way on the subway to go to the Museum of Natural History in NYC. Back then, it was safe for a little kid to travel the subway all alone. It left me 30 cents. 25 cents would be spent on a giant NYC pretzel bought outside the entrance on hot burning grills. I can still smell them. I would sneak them under my coat. In those days, to gain entrance to that magnificent place, you just had to make a donation. I only had five cents left, so I used to give them what I had left over. On average, I went to this place a hundred days out of my year from second grade until seventh grade. The ladies at the entrance began to recognize me, and befriend me. I told them why I came so often, and they were really nice to me. They always let me bring my pretzel inside, as long as I agreed not to make a mess. In winter, they often gave me hot chocolate to drink.

They told me about tours going on that I could follow along and learn about. I went on hundreds of these expeditions through the museum and learned so many facts. It was an incredible experience. As I learned them, I wrote down these facts in a notebook. On the way home on the subway, I would study them and make notes about what I needed to learn in the school. My school had a big library across the street so this was made following up an easy task. The more facts I learned, the more connections I made. The more connections I made, the more things that made sense. From that I gained a deep insight of how things worked, and from those facts I gained wisdom at an early age regarding science and biology.

I had always wanted to be a doctor, so I just went ahead and did it. All the experiences I had as a child made the schooling part easy. When I became a physician, I began to let others train my mind to get where I wanted to be. I knew they knew more than me, and they were going to take me around the human body for 13 years.

This is where things began to unravel for me. I never realized it fully, until I read a book, “The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari”. When I opened that book and read the first two chapters, I saw myself, obese and complacent in life. I was a shell of a person and did not represent what I wanted to be. I was a mediocre specimen of a human.

The book was a mirror in which I saw myself. But what really caught my attention was what written in Chapter three on page 13,

“ I saw a man becoming transformed, by a bunch of Monks who lived in the Himalaya’s. It was said most of them lived to be over 100 years old on little food, in the cold, and were incredibly productive. I wondered to myself, could this really occur in life or was it just part of the story?”

The more I read, the more the book brought me back to my days at the museum as a young boy. I began to think about it more.

I progressed on to the scientific papers I was sent. They main topics discussed were cytokines, leptin, cell membrane chemistry, and obesity. After a very short while, things clicked. I stopped the majority of what I was doing and went to the medical school library. I was like a great white shark in a group of seals for 8 months.

When I emerged, I felt that I had discovered something big that was right under my nose all along. I had never put two and two together, because I was trained to stop thinking like me and start thinking like those who trained me. Sometimes we need to be constantly reminded of the basics of life so we remain directed at our life’s purpose. When we live by assumptions, too often we forget its fundamental concepts. I realized I had to stop living by the life’s assumptions I acquired from medical training. When you assume things about the basics of life and forget what they really are made of, errors in judgment often follow. Since reading the book, I began to to find time every morning at sunrise to reconnect with those fundamentals in my life.

So what did I realize?

When I married the concepts of book and the papers, it dawned on me that life around the Himalaya’s really mimicked life on our planet. In fact, the Asian philosophy “Yin and Yang” was seen best in the geographic map of India. If you draw a line between northern and southern India, you see in the south, near the equator at sea level, there are millions of vegetarians who today suffer from ridiculous amounts of autoimmune disease and diabetes (Even more so than we see in the USA today). In their remote past this was not true. In the North, we see Sherpa’s and Himalayan Monks who routinely live to hundreds of years old in subarctic conditions on top of mountains where the air is thin, UV light more powerful, in mountains that seem to reach the sky. Moreover, they eat few calories, wear few clothes, hardly eat or drink, have low stress, great immunity, and are smart and happy people. They were everything the people in the south were not. They were polar opposites.

My instincts told me that this was not a function of just their mindfulness practices. I thought it had to be part of our biology. I remembered from my youth, that the Sherpa’s were the only humans that had really lived in this environment for the last 25,000 years. They also ate a very different diet than the rest of India. It was one that was heavily skewed to animal protein and fats. In addition, no carbs really grow that high up in those temperatures with any regularity. Not even the Inuit have lived in the Arctic as long as the Sherpa’s have in the Himalayas. The Inuit also ate an animal diet high in marine mammals without much UV light because of their high latitude. Both diets were mostly ketogenic.

I was standing at the foot of Michelangelo’s David in Florence, Italy when it all clicked. I bought a notebook and started writing it all down. Honestly, I don’t really remember the rest of the trip. I was making connections every minute of the day for weeks. I studied and read more. For 14 hours on the plane ride home, I was a Google master and did not sleep a wink. When I stepped off the plane, I had written down something called, the Holy Trinity of longevity.

What is the Holy Trinity?

It began as a simple thought experiment on the plane. I made believe in my mind, that I was a cell at the beginning of life on earth, and thought about what happened to me as time progressed. Then I did the same thing as if I were a human in southern India as we crashed into the Asian plate over time. I thought about what I had to do to adapt to a new life to survive this event. I took facts that we know to be true in biology today and came up with several ideas to test.

CRON or calorie restriction dieting: We learned in the 1930′s calorie restriction extends life in rodents. We have been testing it on many animals ever since. We are currently testing it on primates and humans today. So far, the results have been interesting in most species for life extension. The problem that has developed is in higher animals who can make choices about their environment is that calorie restriction is not a good strategy for longevity. It induces hunger in them all. Primates and humans begin to find novel ways of eating to get around the protocol. This affects results of the experiment. We also recently found out about natural chemicals in the environment that can also stimulate this calorie restriction pathway in the 2000′s from researchers like Sinclair and Guarente. Resveratrol, curcumin, and metformin are examples. They are all flavinols that contain quinones. They have been extensively studied, and I read a lot about them all. They have a levee in my quilt.

I then thought back to page 13 of the “Ferrari book”. It said these monks lived routinely to 100 years old. It also reported a burnt out lawyer, Julian Battle, returned to his firm, 3 years later, looking 25 years younger and fitter than a fiddle! I thought this had to be fiction, but then I wondered could this possibly be biologically based upon my thought experiments I had from the plane ride home? I looked for other clues to this puzzle.

HCG LINK (the HCG diet): Back home in Nashville, I had to chance to operate on a morbidly obese 25-year-old with an acute disc herniation. She was 5 foot and about 300 pounds. She was miserable and could not walk and had foot drop from an L5 root compression. When I did her operation, I found she had the bones of an old person. The operation was a success, but her bone quality haunted me. She was happy, but she did not care about her bone loss. She told me her PCP had recently checked her Vitamin D level and found it was quite low at 8 ng/ml. She also told me that she was supplementing with vitamin D3 (she never went outside) and she was using HCG to lose weight. She, in fact, was able to lose 50 pounds in the prior 3 months using it. She told me she could eat 500 calories and she was not hungry at all! I immediately thought this was hard to fathom as a physician, but as she walked out of my clinic, I asked her some more questions. I had an insight. I went home and read about the HCG protocol of Dr. Simeon. I then went to HCG boardson the net to read about people’s experiences with hunger on this diet.

Instead of dismissing it dogmatically, I wondered if it actually could work somehow. I wonder how it could with the brain networks I knew existed in humans. I looked for one that fit. I married the HCG diet effects with the calorie restriction (CRON) diet effects and saw a complementary pair of findings. The puzzle did not fit. Then, I wondered about the equatorial line that demarcates northern and southern India, and the stark differences between humans who live below this line and what they face in their environments. It hit me suddenly. “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” stumbled into a life, a new environment, that activated an ancient brain pathway that guarantees survival and longevity in the COLD. CRON, HCG, and the COLD formed the HOLY TRINITY that transformed Julian Battle in the book. They only work when the cell is well hydrated and oxygenated from an intracellular perspective. This was not the action of a fiction writer.

The Meaning

The people in the warm south eating plants and carbs, only get the promise of having many neolithic diseases. The people of the north got something quite different. They received healthy longevity. It seemed the modern world attributed their abilities to the mindfulness. I did not any longer. In addition, I also realized this mental map of the Indian continent also simulated the earth environments from the equator to its poles! Life at the poles was far different than at the equator. The main difference was there was not a lot of humans at the poles but there were plenty of mammals. These mammals all had to use HCG in their placentas to have offspring!

The thought occurred to me that maybe HCG and CRON were tied together? I realized that the Monks and Sherpa’s could do many things that calorie restricted primates could not do in CRON trials. They could also do all the things that have eluded humans using the HCG diet as well. It clicked. The cold environment is what tied them together. So I went on a quest to find a brain pathway that could allow for humans to have this ability. This time, I found it quickly. It was the leptin-melanocortin pathway. All the parts were there but nothing seemed to fit the current knowledge of how our biochemistry worked in cold adaptation. I also found that this pathway was present in every mammal on earth, whether they use it or not. This had to be important somehow.

It dawned on me, all the papers I was sent were about cytokines, obesity, and leptin from Amgen’s trials on synthetic leptin. My primal instinct hit me again. They were all connected by leptin in some way! So I immediately went to the library to see what made Sherpas and Monks different than a vegetarian in the cold. I then found out about Loren Cordain and the paleolithic diet. I also learned of Dr. Rosedale’s work on the treatment of diabetics and how the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) changes in cold. That last finding was key for me; It was the moment my life changed. Neither of them, however, were headed where I was based on my reading. After synthesizing all the facts, I came up with a theory that I had to test.

My thought experiment

I felt that this pathway in humans was hardwired into our brains, but long-buried from our awareness. This is because we evolved as hominids in a warm environment and never needed the program until India crashed into Asia! Essentially we evolved into a mismatched scenario. Evidence has shown we left Africa to populate the world follow water pathways. Our rapid brain growth from primates further hid this pathway from our awareness because as time proceeds, evolution tends to speed up. Epigenetics would have also had to speed up, so this meant that humans faced a bigger mismatch if they lived outside their circadian biology! This implied to me my obesity might be reversible. It also implied to me that health, pain control, and longevity were coupled here as well.

What functions would this ancient pathway have to include?

I knew it had to be an old pathway that wired the paleo-cortex to the hypothalamus. The outflow of this tract had to land on the primate reward tracts to altered behavior dramatically. I realized immediately that the reward tracts behavior would be controlled solely by this pathway in order to do all the things the Sherpa’s and Monks could do in real life. I went back to my thought experiment on the plane and realized that some evolutionary factor must have selected for longevity and optimal health on a diet of few calories while things were cold. Might this be how life began, I thought? It also had to work without stimulation of any hunger or with appetite being raised. Simultaneously, it would have to raise our immunity while decreasing our stress too. It would have to select for an increase of our adrenal function but decrease our ability to sense pain, totally quench our thirst or need to urinate, all while increasing our ability to learn. It also would need to increase our ability to reproduce too; it would select for increase body mass and decreased fat as well. It would also have to induce sleep for autophagy. It would have to do all this, while we were able to eat less as well. Honestly, this kind of pathway sounded too good to be true to me. This is precisely the ability Sherpa’s and Monks exhibit on their ketogenic diets.

Is the holy trinity real?

It sounded like the perfect pathway for optimal living to me. I could not believe this book contained the clues to this ancient pathway. The book was a fable, but I realized it might be true because of the Sherpa’s and the map of India. All the wiring in the brain completely fit like a glove. If you read Chapter three in the Monk book, his old associate says that Julian Battle comes back looking new and 25 years younger. It appears the story was created from the mind of a great fiction writer. I immediately knew it was not. Not only was this possible, but we all have the ability to tap it. Why?

I knew about the Sherpa’s present-day superhuman abilities from my youth from the museum! They could do all this stuff in real life, so it had to have a real brain pathway! The signs in biology were right in front of my eyes from a fable! The six papers I had in my possession made all the links to the ancient pathway. Everyone in the world knew about calorie restriction for longevity, few realized the promise of HCG diet in this role, leptin was the new kid on the block. The cold environment was the only thing that unified them all to allow the pathway to become active in humans. Unusual circumstances, it seemed to me, is why no one put it all together. As an obese neurosurgeon, with a book about a Monk in my hand, it made too much sense to me.

This began 6.5 years of thought experiments that ended in three major experiments I performed to disprove my theory. First, was to prove I could reverse my own obesity with the Leptin Rx reset using this pathway to my advantage. I lost 77 lbs in 3 months and 133 pounds in 11 months without any hunger. It seemed too easy. I then fixed my son and my nephew too, as the first two patients who used the Leptin Rx. Their results were even more dramatic. It has helped hundreds of my own patients too. Since I gave it to the world last year on my blog, it has helped thousands of people worldwide.

The next two train stops in my mind were tougher tests. I had to prove I could get younger like the Monk did. After I lost weight, I did look younger, but was I really? I got my telomere lengths checked before and after the weight loss and I found that part of the experiment worked too. My telomeres are longer today than they were in 2006, 2009 and in 2012 when I checked them. Many people found this hard to believe but this was just published in 2013 after this blog was originally written.

The neurosurgery link

The last test of the equation was really tricky one. As a neurosurgeon, I deal with pain all day long in my practice. On my business card, it says, “I try to limit pain and discomfort.” Sometimes with surgery, I can do this, but many times I inflict deep pain for life unknowingly. I wondered if this pathway could help those patients too. I wondered if all those amazing things the Monks are said to be able to do involving pain relief are really biologically possible. So I tested that one too, on January 9, 2012. Check three. It also worked. Every time I tried to disprove what I had found, I lost. This implied I discovered something huge.

Now I am sharing it with all of you here. For 15 years of my professional life, I got away from the essence of what being a physician really should be. I stopped dead in my tracks when I read this book in 2006. It changed me, my life, my job, my family…and now I am going to change yours too if you want it as well.

The holy trinity implications

This information has huge implications. The metabolic trap door exists in our eye which feeds the environmental data to the SCN. All longevity research currently says that high levels of activity in IGF-1 and mTOR pathways cause premature aging and all the diseases of aging. After 2006, I no longer bought that dogma any longer. It helped explain why fit elderly people all had great body composition in my clinic and were not dying but thriving. They all ate a pro-mTOR and IGF-1 diets and many did things to increase both pathways to get better too. This flew in the face of the longevity research published. I knew why the data was contrary to my clinical observations now. No one knew that mammals had a thermoplastic biochemistry! This was never controlled for in any longevity research. Moreover, it was never controlled for in any research on humans or on primates. This implied that mTOR and IGF-1 are required for longevity and not associated with death as CW said! Here is proof I was right and others need to retreat from their diet recommendations.

I tried to tell you all last year but got shot down twice

Those with longevity in my practice usually have great muscle mass. I even mentioned this at one time to Paul Jaminet, on his Facebook wall after I began reading about his Perfect Health Diet, before Jimmy’s podcast. I friended him and posted this info on his wall before I had a blog, to see if it intrigued him. Given what was in his diet, I thought he might be shocked but what I found. His diet was firmly Paleolithic, but not optimal for longevity or healthy lifespan considering what I stumbled into. There clearly was a better way. Grass-fed animals offer small amounts of DHA compared to the marine food chain. I was looking for a way to tell people what I found. I thought this may be a good way to introduce things to this community. The Paleo lifestyle was new to me. Paul is very friendly to his readers and I liked that. I was concerned, however, that some of his views on consuming carbohydrates out of circadian cycles, were not perfect for humans though. Most of the times his recommendations were spot on, but not all were. I wanted to correct this as a physician.

I think my thought did intrigue him, and he offered me to write a guest blog about this for him. This was before I had a blog. I thought sharing it with Paul would be a good venue. He did not pursue it. So, I went to another site and started dropping some of the theory in a piecemeal fashion. That was not a good idea either because dogma is hard to let go of anyone. It was here, that I crossed paths with Dr. Rosedale. I disagreed with his assertions, that mTORdecreased longevity (he still does not realize its due to cytosolic fumarate hydratase), and he responded in those threads and we discussed some things. We did not hear each other’s points at all. In retrospect, it was my fault because the venue was clearly suboptimal. Disagreements should never disqualify someone’s contributions, and both Paul and Ron have done some great things for this community. I warned on PH I would be vindicated because the science led me there. Ron and Paul allowed badly constructed literature to skew their views, in my opinion. Nature’s laws were the backbone of my theory.

But as a physician, who knew something no one else did, I could not sit idle with the information, as Mr. Moore so accurately said in his podcast with me in May of 2011. His words really resonated in my ears after our interview. I knew I had to persist. Dr. Rosedale was making some faulty assumptions about mTOR that just were not true and could hurt a lot of people long term. The mTOR issues are all about quantum spin within the urea cycle.

There was no way my telomeres could lengthen, given how much protein I was eating for a 5-year span if he or the research was right. I had hundreds of patients getting better and reversing disease of aging right before my eyes daily. That ultimate truth trumped everything published. Osteoporosis is one of those diseases I see about 5-7 times a day as well. Neither of them were trying to overtly harm anyone on purpose. They just did not understand the framework in which all the moving parts actually fit. I felt I stumbled into it because of a book and knee meniscus tear.

Jimmy Moore, The Maven

So, I went on my merry way until Jimmy Moore found me on Facebook. He decided to do a podcast with me in May of 2011. It was here I decided I would spring the news. I opened my mouth, and it ended in this blog. The last 8 months are chronicled here.

I respect Paul and Ron. I just do not agree with Paul’s safe starches theory or Ron’s beliefs on mTOR. Their framework is not complete in my eyes. I want you to examine my framework and see the differences, and draw your own conclusions for your own health. As a neurosurgeon, I have always allowed the data and science to lead me, as long as the underlying assumptions of the science are correct.

I realized none of the assumptions underlying the science were correct and that is why they believe what they do and why I do not. The implications of this are even bigger than one thinks, in my view today. The rest of the blog takes my thought experiment to its end point for you all to consider.

Much of what we believe about diet and exercise is based upon many false assumptions. If nutrition studies are done from season to season while mammalian biochemistry is entrained by light only, and never by temperature, how can you infer anything if you are not controlling for it? What if the light in the lab was not full spectrum sunlight, could that alone make a difference? Most researchers are not even aware that mammals normally do this as their environments change. It means all of our biochemistry is thermoplastic and quite adaptable to light conditions, and not biochemically rigid.

The reason this science is tough to get is because no one really understands the leptin-melanocortin pathways with respect to cold. It hard to understand something when you do not realize its true function. As the overall picture began to unfold for me and various parts of the puzzle became clear, a deeper understanding developed in my mind. Apparently unrelated phenomena are seen to be different aspects of the same thing. It began to emerge that many laws I found were derived from a very small number of basic fundamental principles. This is how a neolithic thought can subjugate your paleolithic genes. I talked about this today with Sean. It is critical to an optimal life and reversing diseases. Traditional allopathic training did not give me these answers but it prepared me to receive the wisdom of nature. I realized that biology ultimately came down biochemistry of the TCA and urea cycle. But then I realized that all biochemistry is the bridesmaid to physics. I then realized that physics are how the business of cells gets completed. Light is the biophysical levers that control substrate level biochemistry in cells.

I found this insight because I knew it had to exist because of the Sherpa’s and Monk’s physiologic abilities. The pathway only revealed itself when I found its metabolic “trap door” in the SCN. The fact that all mammals can activate a “new biochemistry” when their environment changes has huge implications for modern humans. Humans are mammals, too.

When I found the pathway, I tested it 3 times on experiments using humans and not rodents. When the first worked, I began to get pretty aggressive with it. They all saw what it did for me and my family and they asked if they could try it. So some began to use it as well. Their results were off the charts. Then I began to use it daily in my practice, and I have seen amazing things happen to my patients since. They were more amazing than what happened to me, because some of these people were ancient and broken to pieces by diseases of aging. Medicine’s answer for them was hospice care. I have an 84 year old with ten screws in her back with a six pack now because of this pathway. I spoke about her in my Encore podcast with Jimmy this year. I suggest you listen to it again. I drop some nuggets there too.

My patients were given a new chance to try something buried in us since our beginning. I have witnessed old people reborn with energy and vitality in my clinic. I am talking reversals in health…not just cures. I see young people come in for spine surgery and leave with a new outlook on life without needing any surgery. They no longer settle for mediocrity because optimal is within their sites now.

I have to share this with you all. It is my duty as a physician to close the space between us that modern medicine has created. If my aim is to change this method of practice, then this information is a powerful change agent for us all. I am humbled at what it did to me as a person and surgeon. I have become completely transformed by it in every aspect of my existence.

How does the pathway work on its surface?

The pathway allows a mammal to cold adapt very rapidly just to chronic skin exposure to light and temperature changes. The changes in their skin cold receptors induce their chemical clocks to stop being entrained to light and begin using endothelial Nitric Oxide synthetase (eNOS). eNOS is induced by cold and all that it entails within an environment, only and uncouples the SCN from light to temperature. This is the “metabolic trap door” that makes it all work. Without this, the pathway remains buried in the hypothalamus. We evolved in Africa close to the equator as humans but our family began 65 million years earlier in the clade of eutherian mammals who took over from dinosaurs in colder polar environments. The equatorial portions of the globe were devastated by an asteroid that ended photosynthesis. This is what happens in warm adapted mammals enter colder environments; moreover, it is the source of mismatches that are capable of create all neolithic diseases if the pathway is altered in anyway. This neural circuit is directly wired from the eye to the leptin receptor. This pathway directly shuts down hypothalamic NPY production in the brain which is directly tied to carbohydrate drives and cravings. This means it turns them off completely in all mammals. There are no safe starches possible in cold environments. Remember the example I gave Sean Croxton in my Paleo Summit talk today? So if you are a warm adapted mammal in Calgary, Canada and eat a banana on Dec 31st , you just caused inflammation to develop (LR) and you shorten your telomeres immediately. Those are biology’s rules, not my own. If you do this enough over a life time and well, you have the modern Western World disease template as your example. This also explains the current situation in southern India too. The author of the Monk book had no idea how right it he really was.

The leptin receptor then up-regulates alpha MSH production to very high levels, as it simultaneously demolishes leptin levels to negative numbers. How does this happen? Leptin leaves fat cells immediately in cold adapted animals and it causes those fat cells to undergo cell suicide. Yep, you read that right folks. It causes its own suicide. Only cold has this ability.

When it shreds fat mass, it makes leptin fall dramatically while increasing TRH in the hypothalmus and demolishing reverse T3 levels. No, you do not need to eat Moose thyroid (Kresser nonsense) to have reproductive fitness if you are cold adapted as was recently reported in a podcast. You might have to eat that moose thyroid if you are warm adapted mammal though!

In the cold, it is like throwing gasoline on your thyroid gland. It just wakes up, no matter what its prior condition, because the brain takes full control of it all by driving all thyroid production by its hypothalamic TRH spike driven by the cold stimulus! This happens even if your thyroid gland is in a surgical pan in some operating room.

You will radiate heat in cold, even though your body temperature is lower. My wife can not believe how I radiate heat from my body now. You might be asking how do we bypass T3, T4 and rev T3? It up-regulates all thyroid function regardless of the T3, T4 or reverse T3 status because the brain is driving the thyroid function. It does not even require an intact thyroid gland! It also increases DHEA, ACTH, and growth hormone actions as well. These are all the hormones found int the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. It also increases androgen actions that stimulatemTOR and IGF-1 too. Here is the aging link. They both have to be high for the pathway to work. Cold is the trigger to the entire pathway. As winter comes, PM light changes drastically.

Warm and long light cycle close the metabolic trap door and hide the benefits from our awareness. Its mere presence, however, confounds much research data and creates confusion for patients.

Quantum biology too, Doc?

The cold uses a “quantum effect” brought about by a heightened receptor binding affinity, which supra-sensitizes all receptors to all hormones levels. It makes us have supra-human abilities. Those abilities are seen in Sherpa’s, Wim Hof, and elite athletes like Michael Phelps and Lance Armstrong. Cold adapted athletes have amazing capabilities.

No one fueling performance with carbohydrates can match the feats of fat adapted athletes. NO ONE. It takes 24-36 months to get there, but they can expand their VO2 max, REE and RER on REDUCED calories to lower heteroplasmy rates in mitochondria. If they force feed themselves while cold training (Phelps and Armstrong) unbelievable ability shows up. These are only seen in cold environments when we are perfectly yoked to our circadian cycles. This is truly a holy trinity for performance.

These abilities have always been known in Himalayan Monks and Sherpa’s too, but most have attributed them to their practice of mindfulness. There is only one way evolution has found to do these things all at once. That was using the leptin receptor to be the cold conductor of this hypothalamic pathway. You can see now why I disagree with Dr. Rosedale about mTOR and IGF-1 pathways, and why I respectfully disagree with Paul. They all lean on the longevity and nutrition data that is published and badly flawed. No one has studied this pathway’s effect on regular mammalian nutrition or longevity. Several professional teams I work with are now on to this data too. What researchers have found and published to date is true in warm adapted mammals in full spectrum sun, but not the cold adapted ones.

Dire implications of the trinity

This implies that all mammalian studies may show reversal of effects if the temperature is not controlled for. That means a lot of ‘conventional wisdom’ in the nutrition world is dead wrong in both of these sciences. This also makes implicit sense to me to. So much of clinical medicine with chronic diseases just does not respond to conventional treatment. The literature is also filled with contradictory evidence. This is why.

Complicating things further, all humans evolved from cold adapted mammals in warm climates so much of what has been studied about is just not correct. We do not come from warm adapted ancestors! This compounds the errors we make. This error is magnified further because of the power laws of epigenetics. This is the reason why children now have heart attacks, carotid stenosis, and degenerative disc disease as teenagers. We are seeing diseases of aging in kids clinically now! Therefore most of our assumptions are often completely wrong because no one has thought to test this possibility. This is the same mistake modern day cholesterol scientists have made as well. Since, it is not been properly tested in purely cold adapted animals of the deep polar seas or on Sherpa’s for that matter, we must now question the validity of all the data.

This is why I think all the longevity data is way off. My tests on my own telomeres and cold thermogenesis show that I am correct in my beliefs for me, and that we all need to do is go back and have another look for ourselves. Today,we can all check our telomere length against our chronologic age. Another way is to look for hormonal changes that show abnormal results in young people. I check both now. I never see normal hormone panels anymore in my clinic. That includes my primal/paleo patients too! This means they have some dogma to check too. If I am correct in my predictions, there are huge implications for much of the research we believe to be true today on humans. None of it may be true. And if I am right, it means we have to question every assumption until we test it for ourselves.

The proof that I might be right is in the Himalayas and in our deep polar seas right now. These animals are all cold adapted already. Sherpa’s and Monks are the only humans who use this pathway all the time and appear to be untouched by the western diet for now. The Inuit are useless to us now for proof, since they are eating a warm adapted, carb laden diet 24/7.

NASA has tested the Sherpa’s and their findings fit my predictions. It appears that NASA, Mike Phelps and Lance Armstrong all got in on this game early in their careers. (Lance Armstrong got busted for drug use, but the drug he got busted for maximized this pathway ironically) Many people were amazed by Armstrong’s Tour de France feats, but I was more interested in how he beat his cancer with what he did. This was a metastatic testicular cancer to the brain that carries a dismal CW prognosis that he demolished. Coincidence? I think not. He was able to reverse his ubiquitin marking in a very counterintuitive way. Today, he thinks it was a drug given to him by a drug company. I think I know the real answer. It had more to do with this ancient pathway he induced to become a dominant athlete as he trained in the cold.

Guess who gave me the books and papers back in 2006? Someone who knew Lance and worked at Amgen. Do you really want to know why synthetic leptin was buried from development for sale? My opinion is they knew exactly what they were doing. Why would you need Amgen, if you could cure all neolithic diseases, including cancer and diabetes? Are you seeing why I now believe T2D and cancer are not really diseases at all as I mentioned earlier in this series? They are environmental mismatches.

Your current neolithic belief and their implications

I believe this pathway cured him by lengthening the telomeres he likely destroyed as an endurance athlete eating the CW training diet of most endurance athletes in a warm adapted state. If I was a former endurance athlete, I would pay attention to these warnings. This is the same diet modern day Cross fitters and endurance athletes pattern themselves after. They are the same people who think starches are safe in fall, winter, and spring. I do not believe that at all any longer. The proof will be found in their defective hormone assays and their telomere lengths. This is why I developed my quantified self testing platform for me. I know how to hack ever single disease you can imagine now. This information is my Rosetta Stone. It is my North Star of revolutionary and evolutionary brand of medicine I practice now.

If you are an endurance athlete or a cardio enthusiast, the news is even worse. If you are in your 5th decade now and finding this out you had better draw some labs to see if I am correct or just nuts. If you have the wine open and some 99{a7b724a0454d92c70890dedf5ec22a026af4df067c7b55aa6009b4d34d5da3c6} dark chocolate, I suggest you eat some more of it. We already know they die at much higher rates from cardiac disease because they have destroyed autophagic repair. Just ask Art DeVany who has been screaming this for years. He just could never cash the check with the proof. Well, Art is a wise man and we should learn from him.

This is not the folly of an adventuring mind. It is where the science has led me, and it is sobering to think of the ramifications of what modern humans have done to themselves. It is the firm findings of how our mammalian biochemistry works in the warm environments chronically overtime. When you feed yourself a regular paleo diet, without changing your environment, you might be fueling the destruction of your stem cells and never realize it until it’s too late. You may look like a rockstar on the outside, but you are depleting yourself of your life force slowly as you age. Eating a SAD, badly compounds the situation. Here is where we see Grete Waitz, boxers, or any pro-football players futures.

Paleo common sense, is not CW common sense: It’s worse

The wisdom here for you is about as common as dew is in a desert. I doubt you will ever hear a physician explain this to you because it is counter-intuitive neural science. I know it is the essence of counter intuitive, but it makes primal sense and it is based upon the hard wiring in your brain. There are no safe starches for descendants of eutherian mammals in warm environments period.

Moreover, this news is also not rosy for the VLCer mammals (sorry Jimmy) who remain warm adapted either regardless of their dietary choices. They will struggle with weight maintenance, because they lose control over their thyroid and sex steroid hormones when they eat a warm adapted diet. This guarantees they will never have ideal body composition, but they won’t deplete their stem cells. They are mirror images of the paleo person on safe starches who looks great naked as they slowly degrade internally.

So if you look good naked and have a high HS CRP and terrible hormone pattern, I am talking to you right now.

A VLCer will always look average, but with a decent lifespan, they will never see optimal either. What is the name of my website? OPTIMAL LIFE, not the sub-optimal one. I am telling you Optimal is better than any Paleo template any blogger has come up with. I no longer want our species to be mediocre. We have an A available to us today, so I suggest you begin to reject a B, C, or a D now.

I am painting a sober picture of precisely what we see today in our community today. If somebody has a better explanation, I am all ears. To get Optimal, we all need cold, period. Our mammalian biochemistry requires it. It is the only way to access the pathway that the Sherpa’s live in and Mike Phelps used to dominate his sport.

The review for the shellshocked

mTOR will go down in cold because cold selects for a calorie restricted diet at the brain level. This means that what longevity researchers have found is just a PART of the leptin-melanocortical pathways that work with calorie restriction. Moreover, none of them have yet tied it to the pathways and how they work in concert. A book and 6 papers did that for me. I lost my weight using it. I used the cold to perfect it, and I checked my telomeres before and after it and they got longer not shorter. I took it further too. I tested the pathways integrity on pain control in humans in surgery, and it also worked. For the last 5 years Cold thermogenesis is my new way of life while eating a tight ketogenic diet. I eat carbs in summer only. I also eat by strict circadian biology. None of this is popular, or will endear me in most circles, but I am fine with it because I know what it means. I tested on myself to prove to me it was truth and I have satisfied myself. I am sharing this with you so you may do the same.

The HCG protocol is the mirror image of the calorie restriction diet (CRON). Both only partially work in warm climates, yet both work amazingly well in cold while adding many new benefits that neither HCG or CRON have by themselves. People do not realize that the reason HCG works in humans is because it activates just PART of the same pathway.

That was the final piece in the Holy Trinity for me. Looking at a map of India became a microcosm of our planet’s evolution. I began to see how latitude, the sun, temperature and season programmed electrons and protons used in a mitochondrion. I also saw where haplotypes came from and how they work.In its southern portion is the equator. In its north, is the Arctic climate where humans have lived for 25,000 years as Indian continent pushes up Asia to the sky. Going higher impacted the light these people received. Another thing I found is that the life around the Sherpa’s, like the Bactrian Camels of the Gobi desert use the same pathways to survive too, in the same cold environment. Their hump fat makes water in their mitochondrial matrix. This is not a one trick pony story for humans. All mammals use this. In India, we have the “perfect lab test” for both environments to answer the questions I was asking myself.

The Sherpa’s and the Monks in the north and the southern India could not be more different, yet they all come from the same genetic makeup but have radically different metabolisms because of weather and their diet. This was staggering when I realized it. It was right under our nose for millions of years.

When I found the pathway in the brain, I knew there were no safe starches and I knew mTOR activation could not kill us. I then realized when the Holy Trinity was added up; the sum was the paleolithic ketogenic diet for optimal health using circadian cycles as controls. This was the diet that was selected for by evolution to best survive in a cold environment. When the Inuits were eating their native diet, this is precisely what they ate as well. Cold selects for this diet which is a completely fat and protein burning diet. That is the Optimal Diet for all mammals on this planet whether they live in warm or cold. It works best in cold but it will still works in warm. Cold exposure makes cells make liquid crystals of water in us that work specifically with the sun.

If one eats a higher carb diet in a warm environmentand is not exposed to the sun, it sets up huge mismatches of circadian biology that cause neolithic diseases that are cumulative. The evidence is now found in southern India and all over the modern world as ultimate proof. I found this all out before I knew what Paleo was or who Loren Cordain was. If you go back to my original podcast with Jimmy Moore you will hear it in that podcast.

So when I found out about this community, I thought what better place to drop this information than here? This community is trying to do things correctly but the paleolithic diet could be hiding an ultimate truth from you. The community I began to slowly drop it on was not receptive because they did not like the message. I found more hospitable places where the people do not care about paleo dogma and want optimal no matter what it means for their feelings. I found that spot, and I dropped the golden nuggets there. Their response to the nuggets has been remarkable too, considering none of them have spent time with me in my clinic. Proof that thought can change your DNA.

They are tapping their Epi-paleo Rx that is in their genome. They have the power and the control and can test themselves to see if this is crazy or not. None of them have found a normal hormone panel either. I bet some will get their telomeres tested now when they understand the magnitude of the problem I am presenting here.

What this means for me as a neurosurgeon

With this information I have changed how I practice clinic medicine now. Actually, the girls in my office can tell you I changed long ago. None of them know why either. They are finding this all out as you today. I now know what I can and can’t do, and I understand fully how to tap the owner’s manual that is buried in each one of us to your benefit. We are humans, but we are mammals first. Never forget it. The rules that govern them, govern our paleolithic genes. Our neolithic thoughts might have helped us to dominate our planet, but more often, those thoughts can subjugate our own health. This is because we remain unaware of how this mismatch creates low grade inflammation to burn our cellular houses to the ground while we do things we think are correct because we were taught to believe they are.

Radical Rule Number #7: Your modern beliefs are usually the cause of your ultimate decline. Become fully aware that the human mind is a wonderful servant but usually is a horrible master. This will be a tough one for you to swallow because it was for me; but it is an ultimate truth. We are often our own worst enemy. This is why we often why we see success in going against the grain in Wall Street, Medicine, and in fish, like Salmon. Our community must beware of this rule. The paleo tribe is experts at using modern technology to help it move forward, but if it is not applied correctly, it might make you a good looking corpse with no stem cells when your telomeres are too short to change it. I do not want you to believe me. On the contrary, I want you to test me with your own hacks! You can check my theory easily yourself. Draw your own telomere test right now at Spectracell labs, and test your own dogmas.

If you’re telomeres age is older than your chronologic age you will know that I am right. I have already proved this to myself. I am telling you to be a skeptic and question everything, including me. If I am right, well, then you can adapt now. Your survival may depend upon this knowledge. You are the reason I do this. I want to see you all succeed and thrive. Please take this warning I am giving you to heart.

If you chose to deny it, and call me a quack, I understand human nature fully. I deal with humans daily and have to break some horrible news to them often. I get it. For those of you who see wisdom in this warning, I will tell you what I tell my patients now. How do I make this actionable for my health, Doc? Simple. When the student in you appears, the teacher in me arrives. It is my duty as a physician to help you here if I can, and that is why I answer every comment you leave on this blog (time permitting). The road to optimal is built into the quilt.

How can a neolithic assumption subjugate a paleolithic body

Eating primal/paleo is not enough if you are making errors of assumption that are not true to our biology. Think about your primal habits as a full cup. If you are full of your own ideas that are flawed, how can any more good ones enter your mind? Your cup is already filled. How do we solve this problem? We empty our cup and allow room for more thought. This means that you are doing the same thing a person who is using HCG is to lose weight without the cold. It is akin to trying to increase your health or your longevity by just performing calorie restriction alone without the cold assist it requires. Similarly, a VLCer who thinks eating in this manner forever has no consequences while they are warm adapted. It does. Moreover, just eating primal while cross-fitting like mad, and eating safe starches 24/7 justified by your activity level while your play on you computers all night long has no biologic consequences to your stem cells is plain wrong. Trying to get all cute and use supplements to hide bad decisions won’t work either. Just increasing resveratrol, curcumin, and metformin won’t allow you to “out supplement” poor choices. Exercise must be hormetic and within our circadian cycles too. If it’s not, you will become a dead marathon runner or an ex NFL player with a short life span, who people wonder why and how that body crashed so fast? You can’t fool your telomeres, but you can fool yourself with your thoughts or “feelings”. The quality of your health is a summation of great decisions consistently. These decisions are all based upon the quality of your thoughts.

There are many among us who love the fact we look good naked or in that “little black dress.” What good is it is at the expense of your stem cells in your organs? OK, you will make a nice looking corpse, but is that the point here? I am saying this clearly here to you to consider: You can look fabulous on your outside while you deplete all your future potential health on your insides. Moreover, before you call bullshit on me…go take a $290 test to test your telomeres and prove to yourself that I am wrong. And if you doubt me, and you lose, did you really lose? Or did you gain something valuable?

Begin to find success in your failures. I have no skin in your game only you do.

I have done these experiments on me. I know the answer already for me. I have been testing myself constantly because of this information. Now you may understand why I do this. I now understand how things are accounted for in mammalian biology. Calories do not matter a lick when your supremely leptin sensitive. Mike Phelps proved that time and time again to the world, yet people still argue about it. He showed the world in Beijing, that you can eat ridiculous amounts of calories and look like a rockstar. The only problem, he did not share how or why with you. This only happens in the cold. Why does this remain in human’s blind spot? They themselves do not live in a cold world, but they are controlled by cold genes. I am sharing this with you because I care. No one cares how much you know until they see how much you care. I want you to know precisely what you are doing at all times. Many of you are still not aware of this sobering fact.

The best part of the story…if you have screwed up and your telomeres are shorter than your chronologic age like mine were once, well, you can adapt and transform. If I could, so can you. Learn from my mistakes. The smartest humans are the ones who learn from others failures. I can is always more important than your I.Q. on the road to Optimal.

The big three: HCG, CRON, and Cold

Why HCG? There is not one mammal on this planet that does not have this pathway buried in their genome. To activate it, requires all three factors to be present at once. If they are present without the other two, the magic it holds for us disappears. Anyone by itself is an incomplete story, but each one has interesting effects. When we view one or even two parts of the equation by itself it just confuses us more. This is why many believe mTOR is bad for us. It is also why many think safe starches might be good for us. Many people and modern medicine have dismissed the HCG diet because men don’t have it because it is a pregnancy hormone. This is short sighted because they are seeing a part of the equation and not the whole equation. Many of them regurgitate, “of course those fat people lose weight. You’re only eating 500 calories!” For the last 6 years, I cringe every time I hear that dagger thrown at these patients. Today, those who laugh last, laugh best. When you control your thoughts to embrace paradox the quality of the result often exceeds the sum of the parts. I won’t and do not dismiss a paradox I can’t explain any longer. A paradox exists to us now because it is a clue that we are missing something big in the equation. This is the essence of the Dunning Kruger effect. I question everything now. After reading the, “Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”, I realized I could learn from anything at anytime, if I tried too. This is a lesson for us all to heed. There are few people in my shoes who’ve spent time talking to the people who used this diet to lose weight. It works, but not well. The same holds true for calorie restriction. I did, and I talked to a lot of them. The one feature that struck me was their lack of appetite with such a low calorie intake. This flew in the face of calorie restriction data that had more scientific basis in the community. Too bad. Because people diminished the HCG diet they could not explain it. I can now. What perplexed them was that the results were just not explainable by current leptin biology, or the incretin gut hormones biology we knew.

That left me with two possibilities, dismiss the diet, like the world does, or dig deeper. I dug. I knew there had to be a metabolic trap door to open this ancient hypothalamic pathway. I found it in the eye! And it wired directly to the SCN that controlled our circadian biology. We talked about it earlier in this series. We will talk more about it later too. This was a major clue to me that there was a brain pathway that selected for it, for some evolutionary reason.

The other oddity was that I knew men did not express this hormone normally, but when they took it, it made androgens at their hypothalamic level. Endocrinologists today use it to stimulate LH and testosterone in men with hypogonadism. That suggested something to me that began to make some sense. It meant that it centrally increased DHEA levels, the number one brain antioxidant, had to be tied to sleep in all mammals. I already knew from the anti-aging literature that low DHEA levels were associated with poor sleep, aging, and poor autographic efficiency. This implied that cold raises DHEA to improve the process of autophagy. This really made biology sense. Remember earlier in the series we talked about autophagy too. When DHEA rises, IL-6 drops like a rock and we become very efficient at burning fuels, especially fats! It also means we sleep well. This made sense because of hibernation that happened in winter in mammals.

But the real reason why men responded to HCG is because their mothers were mammals who had to have placentas too! I realized the reason men respond to it is because it is a requirement of pregnancy to have this pathway if you are a mammal. So men and women had to respond to it to survive birth in cold. See how your own dogma to dismiss an HCGer can bite you in the ass?

I have sat on this knowledge for 5 years because I had to test it in my cold thermogenesis experiments and humans in surgery. Those experiments are now complete and I feel it is my duty to tell you what I found now. It is now your job as a human to decide what your neolithic thoughts will do with this information. We should all think before we act from here on forward when we face a paradox we can’t explain. We need to help each other survive. That is the purpose of this post. I think I have uncovered something unimaginable when I first read that book. For the last 6.5 years I have tried to disprove it the best ways I know how. I would never hurt anyone on purpose. I now realize, this information will not hurt a flea, but it could save our species from its own self inflicted extinction.

HCG’s presence is needed because it means the animal is a fat burning mammal and has the equipment in its brain for this ultimate survival pathway to be unleashed when it was cold! This allowed them to eat lower calories while becoming super metabolically efficient to survive brutal polar winters underground.

Why is leptin here? Leptin controls all mammalian fecundity and all of our hormone levels when we are warm adapted. In cold there is no leptin around and hormones are control by quantum effects on receptor affinity binding. Some of us, who do talk QM, do understand it. This means that in cold environments we have some supra human abilities because hormone levels are not the key factor any longer. Think Lance Armstrong, Phelps, or the Sherpa’s abilities. When I lead off the next blog I am going to share with you a tragedy of how I first encountered the cold true effect on human biochemistry. It remains seared into my brain even today.

We learned how leptin controls hormones in some of my first blogs. If leptin is not working, sleep or metabolisms are by definition, become suboptimal because autophagy is not efficient. This is why every bio hack I do now starts with one question. “Tell me about your sleep!” It’s our primordial condition and gives me more insight on how good or bad our health really is. Moreover, the Leptin protein is central to the regulation of energy metabolism in every mammal on this planet. The Leptin receptor has evolved the ability to rewire and change its affinity for binding in cold environments in all mammals too. The leptin receptor conferred huge advantages in mammals allowing leptin to begin to control the leptin-melanocorticin pathway in order to have these amazing capabilities. It does not have this same ability in many lower life forms. I think in lower species the main controller of metabolism was not leptin, but another hormone, melatonin. That is based upon my reading.

CRON? How can CRON confuse smart guys? All longevity research is done on animals that do not use the leptin receptor as higher animals can. Moreover, not all life forms they study have this mammalian biology to activate it. In fact, these are the main reasons Dr. Rosedale and I do not share beliefs about the effect of mTOR on longevity. I will even take it further today. My theory implies that NONE of the nutrition, dietary, exercise, or longevity research can be valid about humans if they were not studied in a cold adapted state. Most humans on the planet today have uncoupled haplotypes and not equatorial haplotypes. That means the last 200 years of science has to go through a do over for humans. How is that for a game changer?

What we believe to be truths today may be all wrong. Hence, my warnings to question everything you believe, might be relevant and prudent when viewed from this perspective. In fact, your optimal life depends upon it. For me, in medicine, this was a tough thing to swallow. So in 2006, I decided to test it on me. The results showed mTOR is great for telomeres. When patients saw me shrink, they all commented how much younger I looked too. They all wanted to try this. The Leptin Rx reset was born. My results became their results too. My patients’ results have made it a whole lot easier for the scientist in me to destroy the dogma of mTOR and longevity.

Many patients come in and tell me they do not know who to believe these days because all the data says things 180 degrees apart too often. Maybe you have an idea WHY this might be the case now? The rules of metabolism are inducible and thermoplastic, and will affect all results. I have been way ahead of that game for some time now in my own clinic. I swim like a salmon in my specialty now because I understand the Primal Rx for optimal health. I am sorry to say a lot of Primal dogma has to be questioned too. If you do not buy it now you might pay a steep price later.

If researchers do not use cold’s effect on our biology in the future, all the research is an apples to oranges comparison. The really great thing about this is that collectively in our community we can use this to our advantage to change healthcare fast. Once the world realizes that we know something they do not, we will have adapted already and the power laws that govern survival dictate huge changes for us in our favor. We can have the system we envision, if we act now. We must all become the change we seek in our world. I have already cold adapted and it is not that hard unless your mind makes it that way. I had hoped to talk about this at AHS 2012 at Harvard in August with Brent Pottenger, until the paleo cabal tried to muzzle me.

Contradictory science explained? Yes. They are mixing variables all the time and they have never realized it. They were consciously unaware of what they did not know! Well, you now know this now, and that is all that matters to me. My duty is to pay it forward. This is actionable information that you can test from your home without any physician. If you eat safe starches, exercise like mad, and use artificial light all the time, go get your telomeres tested now and test your dogma against my Primal Rx for health.

Researchers need to do the same. Re-perform your simple experiments in cold adapted mammals stat! You can see the results fast and adapt as well. Moreover, I predict all the data will reverse in their beloved rats and mice and any other mammal they completed their PhD dissertation on. Bold statement? Yes, I know it is. I know I am right because I have seen the results on humans for 5 years. They have not. Medicine is not immune either. I changed my practice 5 years ago because of what I found. You can call my office staff and ask them. Call my surgical team. I do things 180 degrees different now because I know something no one else does. We made a big error in assuming things that we really did not know.

6.5 years ago, I began by testing all of it on myself. I erased everything I believed 6.5 years ago because the science said I had too. It was where it lead me. It was damn hard thing to do. But it was right thing to do. My vision of my primal instinct kept me true to my new core beliefs. Because I remained steadfast in my belief, people’s health improved dramatically under my care for all conditions. They got better and I stopped doing wallet biopsies on them via a revolving door in my office. I became the doctor I always wanted to be instead of the one I was. I improved my former self. I became a real world, Julian Battle, without really trying too. I am grateful I read that book and those six papers. From my failures, I feel I found some ultimate answers. Those thoughts did change my DNA as a person and as a healer. I now use this information as my Primal Rx for healthcare.

The summary of the trinity

HCG is used as a fat burning hormone in the mammalian placenta. It mimics the increased efficient of fat burning and destroys our hunger, but cannot sustain weight loss because it can’t lower leptin levels as cold can. Nothing lowers leptin like cold can. Calorie restriction is activated by decreased food, resveratrol, curcumin and metformin to degrees. However, to fully work for optimal health and longevity it requires a cold environment. They work in warm environments but not maximally. There are no safe starches. They cause increase ROS at cytochrome one. To see why, go look here. This is why CRON and HCG perplex modern science. When viewed from a cold environment perspective, we can see precisely how both were designed to work in mammals. Calorie restriction, HCG, leptin sensitivity, and longevity are made biologically simple in the freezing cold. This is how they all tie together.

The fable of the Monks and Sherpa’s is not a fable. It is a human reality. Researchers like Dr. Cordain, Dr. Simeon, Dr. Lenny Guarente and David Sinclair have just uncovered parts of this ancient pathway, and have not realized how they couple together to work in unison to confer ultimate longevity. I call these three factors the holy trinity of the mammalian biochemistry of the leptin-melanocortin pathway which works with the sun. This is the ancient pathway that confers ultimate longevity to all eutherian mammals and their descendants.

If you still think this does not make any sense, then keep doing what you’re doing and pay the toll. If you see something here in this epic long blog post that hits your primal instincts, then I suggest you consider erasing all your dogma, knock the rust from your spirit, and rise from the chaos of your present crisis of thinking and transform. Optimal is for anyone who wants it.

Next up, the biochemistry of the ancient pathway and how it all works to make your brain really hurt…

@Donna you do not need HCG? You need Cold Thermogenesis and a ketogenic paleo diet ………PERIOD for optimal human anything. That combo is the Ultimate OPTIMAL combination for our entire species. PERIOD I used HCG and CRON to figure it all out. WOW!

You always, repeat always, state your case with a conviction that you and (perhaps) you alone know the Truth. I hope you live to be 140 and are healthy every single day of your life. I really do, Jack.

I simply think you're full of hooey. I don't say that with any hatred. You just jump to these strange and poorly-supported conclusions all the time.

Dr. Kruse- it's one thing to be a great thinker with a brilliant mind but an entirely different thing to put yourself out there so openly on the internet, and to share your thoughts and theories with only a desire to help people get optimal. I've seen you get hammered on here and there on forums, and you've always handled it with grace and aplomb. You, sir, are a super-human rockstar- thank you.

Now off to slap some more ice-packs around my middle… I'm hoping I get through this cold-adaptation thing quickly!

Whew! This is indeed a large bite to chew. I'll need a few readings–and some quality sleep–even to form questions. Thanks for sharing so much of your heart and mind. I'll tell you now I don't think I got the actionable HOW from this so I hope that's coming. Regards,

@NANCE it was in the damn blog!!!! THIS BLOG IS ALL ABOUT ACTIONABLE!!!!! THAT WAS THE POINT……….. WOW!…….go to spectracell and order a telomere test for 290 bucks…….and you will know if what you are doing and think is right today really is………it is the ultimate acid test to your present neolithic thoughts. If your telomere length is short…….you are living sub optimally…….and if they are longer you are doing well. So far…….no one has beaten my acid test.

And it is actionable from your house without a doc.

It tells you if what you believe is true or total bullshit.

Then you can change.

Or die……………slowly from your belief like the rest of the world who follows CW. Yes Paleo has its own brand of sub optimal thoughts too.

After 6 rounds of HCG over the last 3 years and maintaining sporadically, I knew the protocol worked but it wasn't the panacea that some fellow HCGers kept touting. I didn't believe it "reset the hypothalamus" in the way they thought it did because if so, stabilization would have been easier. It has served as a fantastic tool for me but it wasn't the whole answer and now you put the rest of the puzzle together and I'm beyond thrilled!!!!

After reading installment 3 of CT, I asked you if there was any downside to HCG because after reading CT-3 it seemed like combining HCG and CT could be a good thing…"perfect bedfellows" you called it. You never answered me (which worried me about my decision) but I just felt in my gut it was right and jumped back on yesterday with the addition of CT. I'm so glad I did! I have to read this blog post over again because I was so excited that I think I missed a lot and didn't absorb the whole thing! I can promise I'll be back with questions!! 🙂

@JDW HCG CRON and LEPTIN DO NOT WORK BY THEMSELVES………they all need cold. And if you go outside the circadian cycles…….you get sick faster………and with each generation the neolithic diseases come earlier…….confounding my profession…….but not me any longer……..and you die sooner……..and I believe some of the healthcare complex know this already.

Now you do to. Level playing field. Time for you to realize that the manner in which you tackle your health determines your ultimate success. Our health is directly tied to the quality of our thoughts. All thoughts precede decisions, decisions precede actions and actions lead to behaviors. Behaviors to our habits. The better you think the better your habits become. The better your habits are, allow you to approach your optimal self and avoid the mediocrity that you might become. This is how thinking can improve your DNA. Many others laugh at this but this just shows their thoughts can subjugate their paleo genes. I realize that this simple thing stops bad thinking and solves mismatches that our personal dogma creates

@Akman it depends where you live……in your case the only time you can eat carbs is maybe the six weeks of winter you get when its light out 24/7 the rest of us…….well it depends. For me in Nashville based upon my labs its 4/15 This year something has thrown a monkey wrench into my own plan……..so I am trying to figure out when I can add them back as we speak now. This year will be tough for me.

by the way love Alaska and we are coming up there soon. Wife wants to go into the Arctic sea with me for real now that why we do what we do is out…….

Wow . . . amazing. I want my health back and I want to be optimal. I will do what it takes. Few questions for you. If they've been answered, feel free to crucify me, but I didn't see the answers and I want to do this RIGHT.

How frequently should we practice CT? Unfortunately we still live in the neolithic world with jobs, responsibilities, etc. Will doing this 2-3 times a week give results?

I've been following the Rx for a few weeks now and have only done 5-6 cold baths, but as of now I'm still gaining weight. Yes, I know I'm impatient! Just wondering – is that normal? Have you seen that happen even when adding in the CT?

@Jean here are the implications……get your telomere test done……find out how far below your real age you are…….then you must eat a strict paleo template with lots of seafood and coconut oil and do a ton of CT……..this will REVERSE the process and add length to your telomeres and you live longer and you reverse every neolithic disease you can imagine………yes reverse. So even if you made any erros you can fix them. Nothing is not fixable unless you are Bob in this comment section. Jean you last point concerns me…….you say you live in a neolithic world and then make excuses…..STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR BAD THOUGHTS!!!!!….you do real you made this errors in the same world……..the reason why is you did not know…….now you do. What does the neolithic world have to do with a damn thing……..you are human and have a brain and can re create the right environment for your paleolithic genes……..drive with the AC one…….make a cold dark room in your house…….yes dont ask I have one.

@Jean that means you have a ton of underlying hormonal issues that have to be repaired…….it implies your telomeres are very short…….and I am afraid that is not good news. You need to really change quickly. LR just does not mean your fat…….as most think. My podcast today with Sean made that point and tonights blog hammers it home…….LR is a function of one thing and one thing only……..living outside your circadian rhythm is a death sentence.

Jack, you took this where I hoped you would. Thank you for this gift. Between ice packs and no lights wife thinks I have gone off deep end. Time to order telomere tests for usboth to hit this home. What type of lighting is safe post sunset? Would darkened ski goggles as I am buried in my ice packs during my commute count as cold/dark time. Great gift again. I plan to takefull advantage.

@Jeremiah test your telomeres and you'll know what is safe and what is not………question everyone and everybody. But I know the answers……..now I am taking you all on my back to the finish line. Its time to change the world.

o.m.g. My mind is racing! So many things to change! One question though… I live in south Florida and have done 2 cold baths in the last 7 days. But down here, even straight cold water from the tap is not that cold compared to what you're referring to here (Himalayas), although my skin still turns pink and my muscles ache the next day as if I've worked out. Is it normal to react as if I've dunked in an ice bath, because of living here for 20+ years?

@laurie……if you screwed your telomeres up……this means you can unscrew them up…….they do make ice last time I checked even at the equator. No one controls your thoughts but you. I suggest you regain them and change you damn life now.

Wow Jack, wow! I've not been reading the blog regularly but my interest was piqued after hearing you on the Paleo Summit today as well as one of your FB posts about your cold times of thinking and watching sunsets. Thank you for your blog and not being afraid to share to help many! I plan to be reading and re-reading a few of your posts and putting all of this into practice as quickly as I can. I need OPTIMAL. I can not wait to start improving my health in major ways as well as gain a bit better body comp. Thank you so much!! I have so much work ahead of me but will do it and it will be all thanks to you!!

@Ivy Ivy I love that you trust me……..i really do. But here is my wisest advice. Question everyone and everything…….including me. But I think the world is now fully aware of how much I care. And I will not do anything to hurt anyone. What I have uncovered can improve our species. I do not think this change will come from the healthcare complex. It will come from this community. Now that I have given it is lever……..we need all of us to help each other to go from mediocre to optimal. There is no excuse.

Doc – I cross country ski two days a week @ 5-6 hours in 0-32 degree weather, late December through early-March. Once I get moving I do not feel cold, but am I still getting cold benefits? Note: since going paleo I have lost about 30 lbs but had stalled. Since starting your leptin reset protocol, the weight has been coming off again and sleep improving.

@Joe D is works better when you exercise in the snow…….you start eating a ketogenic paleo diet and keep skiing youll be a rock star quick…….and if you start CT protocol baths…….holy shit you wont believe what you can do.

Woah, Brain freeze! Awesome stuff Doc! I have much re-reading ahead of me but I do have one quicky.. If allowed carb %'s increase in the summer and decrease in the winter, do cold exposure times also fluctuate with the seasons? If so, what are your min and max times for cold exposure depending on the time of year? Thanks!

@Chimpchick……I base it on initial telomere mismatch……..and then go from there. Or from how bad hormone panel is destroyed. Then work back ward. Always looking at what happens to D levels and HS CRP as the fire and ice in the system………my North Star for autophagy…….sleep. And optimal health comes when levee 15 is awesome. And that is where some of my clinical magic with 5 yrs of experience doing this in humans already is huge.

Wow wow wow! brilliant post! Eye-opening! From what I gather, the CT will speed up my gut-recovery. I have fallen in love with CT since the very first time I tried… I love the sleepiness, the odd comfort of feeling cold, but only on the outside (always warm on the inside). I love how you open doors and guide us, and you do so without expecting anything in return (except for our wicked tales of success!). Thank you for the time and passion you put into this, and the inspiration you provide us with.

Jack, As a teen I also made forays into NYC to the Museum of Natural History. What a treasure! How did you manage to sit on this? I have been reading this daily since Oct.2011. Genius yogi. Yogis experiment with themselves. I am at the beginning of week three of your CT protocol attempting to biohack hypothyroid and T2D. Paleo for 9 months. Applying ice to abdomen and thyroid for 30 min plus daily with compression shirt. Cold showers. T shirt outside in 25 deg. No heat in car.13% body fat. As soon as the ice melts on the pond I'm in. How can I get off Synthroid? If I need to come to Nashville to be seen as a patient I will.

As to the implications of this work; it had already occurred to me that all medical and nutrition research needs to be done again on ketogenic cold adapted humans. Fascinating. Thank you for giving this to the world.

@bob S it was hard……until I proved the last part of my thought experiment on Jan 9th 2012. Then I felt compelled. My wife was sitting there watching me on the doc as the sunset……and she said this. Our planet might be different……."when the sun rises in the AM"……..I think she is right.

@Bob S take the test……it tells you how off or on you are……roughly. The hormone panels are the fine tuning…….my job is to teach more docs how to read the tea leaves. I got 5 yrs of this teaching myself…….but my patients here in Nashville just keep thinking its my super surgical skills……..I tell them its my skills as a neurosurgeon who works without a knife that is the real ticket to optimal.

WOW! I am amazed by this blog. THank you! I am a female, age 43, with possible undiagnosed thyroid issues (tightness in throat, inability to lose weight and gain easily). I have been eating paleo for 3.5 years, not always perfectly but moving toward it. I did 2 rounds of hcg last spring/summer to lose 12 lbs and now those pounds are back on and I look anything but optimal. I eat primarily protein and fat: eggs, grass-fed beef, bacon, some chicken, salmon, some veggies, raw butter, coconut oil, raw cacao. My weight doesn't budge and I was considering another round of hcg. It seems like you're saying it's better to do a round of hcg in the winter. But if I cold adapt, then I don't need the hcg? Do I understand correctly? Are veggies ok or are you saying zero carbs? I am usually at 10g carbs per day. Lately, I've mistakenly been trying to increase carbs because I thought zero carb was causing me more problems.

@CW you do not need HCG……but if you use it you had better do it in cold if you want to sustain the losses. Same thing with CRON users…….it needs cold. And Leptin resetters……..same deal. Cold is the critical part of the Trinity.

Dr. Jack, as you recommended, I have emptied my "cup of assumtions and preconceptions" and am aiming to start with a clean slate. Bed-bound recently due to injury, I have had time to read your blog and comments almost non stop. I am not overweight, I have normal blood markers (higher than required HDL which my doc said was good) and I have tried to be kind to my eartly vehicle-my body. Now, I would like to be Optimal. Not for the sake of longevity but for the sake of the best quality of life here and now. I live in sub-tropics though. We have two seasons and winters can get cold, especially indoors since I never use any heating (deliberately). What my body tells me in winter tallies nicely with what you say here. In the hot season though, my body doesn't really ask for meat, or starches but for fruit, especially with high water content. I could basically survive summers on watermelons, coconuts and mango. That's a lot of fructose, isn't it? I guess this is not optimal. Is my neolithic brain working here against me? Thank you for any insights. I am still at the start of my journely to Optimal.

@Ruby you would be the ideal paleo test case for the telomere test…….I am quite sure many of them will cling to their dogma until their health slips from their grasp. Unfortunately, most people will still opt for the Happy paleo Meal and a WOD over the Happy Life.

Thanks Jack. I need some ice and a compression shirt stat. What about veggies in the diet now in the winter or even in the spring? I like to have some in my diet but not a lot. Is 10g carbs per day coming from veggies, raw cacao and raw cream ok? Is a little dairy ok when not LR?

OK, so many questions/thoughts but I'll do them one at a time. My brain is already smoking!

Since I jumped back on HCG and am using CT along with it, would you alter the protocol to make it more ketogenic? There were many who tried using coconut oil during protocol and failed miserably BUT that could have had to do with the missing CT part. Since I will be cold adapting, should I try to alter the protocol to more leptin friendly and fat friendly:

– kill the fruit

– skip lunch instead of breakfast

– eat coconut oil and fat even if it means a touch higher calorie content?

@JDW HCG does not work without cold…….this is why weight loss is not sustainable with it. Same thing with CRON. Leptin works in both environments but best in cold. The leptin receptor has adapted to the environment slowly over time…….but what it does in cold is remarkable

Thank you Dr. K! I am confounded by my recent experience…. basically 2 failed rounds of HCG. I used the real stuff, not the homeopathic. I say "failed" b/c 1. I was HUNGRY during most of the 2 rounds and stuck it out b/c of stubbornness and wanting all the success others were having, 2. b/c most of the weight came back…. even with strict carb restriction. Then found your site. Then did Leptin Rx. gained some more. got labs done and i am hypothyroid with hashis, and with slightly elevated pyrroles…. i was a rage-aholic during and after the weight loss. now i know it was lots of toxins i released + the copper/zinc being out of whack. I have a ton more tests pending…. synthroid has been prescribed… its sitting there staring at me.

My Q is: i get that CT can fix the hypothyroid… but what can it do for hashimotos? is it too late for me?

why was i hungry during HCG when most others were not?

I am also getting the MTHFR tests done… i think i am a total undermethylator and it has caused me issues – along with the pyroluria – most of life. if it wasn't for you and your lab fetish, i would never have found all this out about myself… and will have died a very early death, just like my dad. now i am OBSESSED about my labs!

Also, since being cold adapted means that we adapt at a hormonal receptor level, does being cold adapted automatically mean being leptin sensitive? Would a good marker for being truly cold adapted be blood sugar levels since CT should also change the insulin requirement to very small amounts, easily handled by even a type 1.5 diabetic? Is this correct thinking?

Wait a minute… just a thought… does the HCG component necessarily require calorie restriction? If it "unlocks" fat stores in preparation of a cold winter underground, could you not couple the hormone with a ketogenic diet, the leptin reset, and CT and not require the strict calorie restriction?

Did I understand your post correctly? Does the CT protocol work for someone who has had their thyroid removed by radiation? Someone who is taking Synthroid? My husband has lost 20.5 pounds in just twenty-six days on the Leptin RX, and is considering adding CT to his program. Would applying ice to the thyroid area alone do any good for a starting place? Also, we are working on the lighting exposure by going to bed around 10:00. I know it is only a small step, but it is a start. My husband had special warfare training in the Navy, years ago, and never really understood why they always were getting sprayed with the cold water. He does now!

Thank you so very much for your dedication to improving medicine and giving information to would-be-patients to be able to decided whether or not they want of help themselves.

Did I understand your post correctly? Does the CT protocol work for someone who has had their thyroid removed by radiation? Someone who is taking Synthroid? My husband has lost 20.5 pounds in just twenty-six days on the Leptin RX, and is considering adding CT to his program. Would applying ice to the thyroid area alone do any good for a starting place? Also, we are working on the lighting exposure by going to bed around 10:00. I know it is only a small step, but it is a start. My husband had special warfare training in the Navy, years ago, and never really understood why they always were getting sprayed with the cold water. He does now!

Thank you so very much for your dedication to improving medicine and giving information to would-be-patients to be able to decided whether or not they want of help themselves.

I get that they are coupled together and the only reason I thought about it was because you spoke of how when you lost the weight you did so with the Leptin reset using a ketogenic diet and CT. And, you said in the comments that HCG is not required. So, that's what made me wonder if the hormone could simply be used as an adjunct to the program you did but without the calorie restriction. Did you calorie restrict when you did your reset?

I get that they are coupled together and the only reason I thought about it was because you spoke of how when you lost the weight you did so with the Leptin reset using a ketogenic diet and CT. And, you said in the comments that HCG is not required. So, that's what made me wonder if the hormone could simply be used as an adjunct to the program you did but without the calorie restriction. Did you calorie restrict when you did your reset?

And, again, please let me say thanks Dr. Kruse! I know I have a lot of questions… I can't make my brain shut down right now and I am VERY THANKFUL for your work here. A good thing but BAD because I got so wrapped up reading that I didn't do my CT for the evening. I'll do it in bed with ice packs I suppose!

And, again, please let me say thanks Dr. Kruse! I know I have a lot of questions… I can't make my brain shut down right now and I am VERY THANKFUL for your work here. A good thing but BAD because I got so wrapped up reading that I didn't do my CT for the evening. I'll do it in bed with ice packs I suppose!

Thank you. You've blown my mind yet again…I'm going to continue to trust you as you havent really been wrong yet! CT has been going great. Will one hour in 55 degree tub water work well enough? To get my thyroid back in shape is it necessary to hold an ice pack to my thyroid or is CT in the tub enough? I didnt realize how important the carb thing was…glad you answered that veggies covered in fat wont derail things..any count we should shoot for? less than 50? 20?

Thank you. You've blown my mind yet again…I'm going to continue to trust you as you havent really been wrong yet! CT has been going great. Will one hour in 55 degree tub water work well enough? To get my thyroid back in shape is it necessary to hold an ice pack to my thyroid or is CT in the tub enough? I didnt realize how important the carb thing was…glad you answered that veggies covered in fat wont derail things..any count we should shoot for? less than 50? 20?

You will be attacked for promoting a test to determine 'health'. Either you stand to make financial gain from it, or it is another cholesterol myth???

Love the read, not sure what I'm witnessing. I certainly do appreciate you filling in the gaps you seem to have been inferring for a LONG time. Right or not, nobody can say you don't have anything new to contribute to this community:)

I personally was told my brother and I were among the youngest cases of hypothyroid when I was diagnosed (via my older brothers problems) in the mid 80s. Just gulped my synthroid and showed up to the doctor for the required blood test when I had too. Became conscious of my health after my father passed at 62.

I've never felt I've know if I feel 'good' or 'bad' for clinical treatment, so I guess I felt lucky. But after working on my primal diet for a couple of years, my blood recently showed high CRP, low test, and high rt3 ratio. The tsh that has never been under control as they keep increasing my dosages (until recently when I went on cytomel) should have been a sign. I quit lifting immediatelywhile trying to bring down rt3 hoping that will clear up inflammation the CRP indicated. I've also been on HCG for the test.

You will be attacked for promoting a test to determine 'health'. Either you stand to make financial gain from it, or it is another cholesterol myth???

Love the read, not sure what I'm witnessing. I certainly do appreciate you filling in the gaps you seem to have been inferring for a LONG time. Right or not, nobody can say you don't have anything new to contribute to this community:)

I personally was told my brother and I were among the youngest cases of hypothyroid when I was diagnosed (via my older brothers problems) in the mid 80s. Just gulped my synthroid and showed up to the doctor for the required blood test when I had too. Became conscious of my health after my father passed at 62.

I've never felt I've know if I feel 'good' or 'bad' for clinical treatment, so I guess I felt lucky. But after working on my primal diet for a couple of years, my blood recently showed high CRP, low test, and high rt3 ratio. The tsh that has never been under control as they keep increasing my dosages (until recently when I went on cytomel) should have been a sign. I quit lifting immediatelywhile trying to bring down rt3 hoping that will clear up inflammation the CRP indicated. I've also been on HCG for the test.

It all comes together…. THIS explains WHY WINTER is mt favorite season and now I understand! Oh how I loved my last week in highs of 15 degrees w/windchills on the mountain, sitting on snow w/o being cold! Oh how I'm hating the return to the mild 65 degree high of this years mid-Atlantic winter.

My body has been craving the biological imperative stamped upon my genes thousand of years ago, but before now I didn't know why – now I do! I'll continue to embrace my desire for cold, especially throughout the winter months.

But what about the dog days of summer, with it's 95 degree heat & humidity that I hate? My gut tells me ice baths, & ice packs should be fully embraced to leverage the cold, even during the long summer months….

Its been a wild ride….I'm ready for the next little ice age…. Come on mother nature give us what we really need…. Cold!

It all comes together…. THIS explains WHY WINTER is mt favorite season and now I understand! Oh how I loved my last week in highs of 15 degrees w/windchills on the mountain, sitting on snow w/o being cold! Oh how I'm hating the return to the mild 65 degree high of this years mid-Atlantic winter.

My body has been craving the biological imperative stamped upon my genes thousand of years ago, but before now I didn't know why – now I do! I'll continue to embrace my desire for cold, especially throughout the winter months.

But what about the dog days of summer, with it's 95 degree heat & humidity that I hate? My gut tells me ice baths, & ice packs should be fully embraced to leverage the cold, even during the long summer months….

Its been a wild ride….I'm ready for the next little ice age…. Come on mother nature give us what we really need…. Cold!

I need to do some more reading, this is the first post of yours I have read. I am currently on Dr.Simeon's protocol, and have been using ice for my DDD with drastic osteoarthritic changes and lots of neurological symptoms. I have started to find I use less blankets and no sweater at night when the house cools off, just cause I feel better a little chilly. I am planning on doing a leptin reset and switching to paleo eating, once I figure out just what those are and how to do them. I have been listening to my body for a while and what I hear is it wants meat and veggies, and it wants what is in season or stores easily in the freezer.

After the first read through of this blog, I now intend to add CT to everything. My plan right now is this:

Start CT

Finish Dr.S hcg protocol

Read Leptin Rx and do it

Switch to eating mostly (good) meat, fish and veggies, with a few fruits when they are in season.

My questions for you are:

1. What do you think of my current plan?

2. Will you please suggest a reading list for when I sit outside in the morning, enjoying the cold sunshine?

3. You said "….this can reverse all DDD and back pain" (referring to CT I believe). Can the osteoarthritic bone changes be reversed or just the soft tissue damage?

Dr. Jack, you said we should question you so here it goes: I can't wrap my head around Ice in summer months. Living in subtropics, I decided to go with the environmental flow. In winter, temp in my house averages 55 (same or lower than as outside) as I deliberately don't use heating. In summer, I use air-con sparingly because with 95 averages outside it's too much of a shock to the system. I find I function best (and my eating patterns adjust automatically) in this regime. Once my body adapts to the heat (very fast now) even a few hours spent in well air-coned space make the heat outside really oppressive. I am open to the icing idea but I would like to confirm that it makes sense in my case and circumstances. Wouldn't such temperature changes throw my hypothalamus out of whack?Thanks a lot!

@Ruby you do not need ice in the summer if you have no neolithic disease…….if you do you find that out from your telomeres…….do not assume cause you do not take meds or see my profession. Test it…….if your telomere age is higher than your age……..you adapt and use 24/7 until you reverse it. Simple

Dr. Jack, you said we should question you so here it goes: I can't wrap my head around Ice in summer months. Living in subtropics, I decided to go with the environmental flow. In winter, temp in my house averages 55 (same or lower than as outside) as I deliberately don't use heating. In summer, I use air-con sparingly because with 95 averages outside it's too much of a shock to the system. I find I function best (and my eating patterns adjust automatically) in this regime. Once my body adapts to the heat (very fast now) even a few hours spent in well air-coned space make the heat outside really oppressive. I am open to the icing idea but I would like to confirm that it makes sense in my case and circumstances. Wouldn't such temperature changes throw my hypothalamus out of whack?Thanks a lot!

@Ruby you do not need ice in the summer if you have no neolithic disease…….if you do you find that out from your telomeres…….do not assume cause you do not take meds or see my profession. Test it…….if your telomere age is higher than your age……..you adapt and use 24/7 until you reverse it. Simple

coolstriy, here is mine: restriction: i have been fasting 23 hrs every single day for the last 6 years now, ( how about you? hungry?) dif is my lifestyle. i have been eating the same meal for 2 years now, and i love it. dont know how long my telomeres are but i look in feel a lot younger that most 33rs… im also practically immune to cold ( and sickness) but that dsnt mean im going to freeze my ass on purpose! so what im doing is not optimal, i still think i could teach you a few tricks you dont know…feel free to send me an email. good luck!

coolstriy, here is mine: restriction: i have been fasting 23 hrs every single day for the last 6 years now, ( how about you? hungry?) dif is my lifestyle. i have been eating the same meal for 2 years now, and i love it. dont know how long my telomeres are but i look in feel a lot younger that most 33rs… im also practically immune to cold ( and sickness) but that dsnt mean im going to freeze my ass on purpose! so what im doing is not optimal, i still think i could teach you a few tricks you dont know…feel free to send me an email. good luck!

How much CT stimulus is enough? Is it binary…i.e. the trapdoor is activated at a specific threshold, or is it on a spectrum? Do I have to swim in freezing lakes to activate it, or is 20 minutes a day with a cold pack and cold showers enough to activate the trapdoor?

Also, have you considered if the pharmaceutical industry ever discovered this…they could find a way to pharmacological activate the trap door without cold stimulus?

@BenG I do not know this answer because I am the only one in the world who has tested it. I did it clinically. I used skin temps 50-55 degrees because of what I learned from my research from NASA and MGH researchers.

How much CT stimulus is enough? Is it binary…i.e. the trapdoor is activated at a specific threshold, or is it on a spectrum? Do I have to swim in freezing lakes to activate it, or is 20 minutes a day with a cold pack and cold showers enough to activate the trapdoor?

Also, have you considered if the pharmaceutical industry ever discovered this…they could find a way to pharmacological activate the trap door without cold stimulus?

@BenG I do not know this answer because I am the only one in the world who has tested it. I did it clinically. I used skin temps 50-55 degrees because of what I learned from my research from NASA and MGH researchers.

[…] 1. A BOOK, AS A MIRROR…….CAN MAKE YOU FACE A NEW REALITY. 2. DOES SHARING WHAT YOU KNOW CLOSE GAPS YOU HELPED CREATE? 3. DOES THE UNIFICATION OF FACTS LEAD TO WISDOM? 4. CAN THOUGHTS CHANGE OUR DNA? 5. WHAT IS THE HOLY TRINITY FOR OUR SPECIES? Read More» […]

i hope one day to get the guts to do Cold thermogenesis, but need clarity: can i do this while i am in a adrenal recovery and get exhausted alot? also, doing the reset, is it possible i am even more tired because of Lyme die off/Herxing? thanks for your inspiring me to keep doing the best i can, which today sucks.

@Meghan do you realize what you just said here? I just gave you a cure and you said you dont know if you have the guts to do this? this is the definition of where neolithic brain, not working well……….just blows your paleo genes up. WOW……….I am lost for words, honestly.

Oh my gosh. I thought getting a healthy body had to be hard and painful. Massive calorie restrictions, running endlessly on the treadmill, being hot, tired, crabby, and hungry…

Ketogenic paleo diet and some nice cold baths? EASY!

Perhaps people will think I'm foolish to embrace this so quickly… However I also can't see this harming my health worse than the CW advice I followed in the past. I already believe in the paleo diet, so what do I have to lose? I see that I might have more to gain than what the paleo diet alone has given me. 🙂

@Christina……..your right. And the best part is you can do this in your home with out any fancy things. If your smart go get your telomeres test before you start…….in the paleo world people say take a before and after pic…….in my reality I say go take a before and after telomere test to see if I am right……..and then be prepared to see your world change.

Oh my gosh. I thought getting a healthy body had to be hard and painful. Massive calorie restrictions, running endlessly on the treadmill, being hot, tired, crabby, and hungry…

Ketogenic paleo diet and some nice cold baths? EASY!

Perhaps people will think I'm foolish to embrace this so quickly… However I also can't see this harming my health worse than the CW advice I followed in the past. I already believe in the paleo diet, so what do I have to lose? I see that I might have more to gain than what the paleo diet alone has given me. 🙂

@Christina……..your right. And the best part is you can do this in your home with out any fancy things. If your smart go get your telomeres test before you start…….in the paleo world people say take a before and after pic…….in my reality I say go take a before and after telomere test to see if I am right……..and then be prepared to see your world change.

I am wondering if this revelation of yours changes even some of the theories and assumptions about the so-called mind-body connection in which people posit that through meditation, one can make physical changes that otherwise would be impossible.

The reason I ask is because a friend of mine once showed me video of Tibetan monks sitting in the cold, having cold & wet towels thrown over their shoulders. Supposedly, through meditation, they raise their internal thermostats and begin to evaporate the water from the towels.

Could it be that they aren't really doing anything via meditation? Could it be that they are just supremely cold adapted and "radiating" heat normally?

Or what about that guy featured on the discovery channel who they call the Ice Man. He ran barefoot in shorts for like 20 kilometers up in the Arctic. He claimed to be able to mentally tap his internal thermostat as well. But maybe he too is just really cold adapted and also radiating heat. What do you think?

I am wondering if this revelation of yours changes even some of the theories and assumptions about the so-called mind-body connection in which people posit that through meditation, one can make physical changes that otherwise would be impossible.

The reason I ask is because a friend of mine once showed me video of Tibetan monks sitting in the cold, having cold & wet towels thrown over their shoulders. Supposedly, through meditation, they raise their internal thermostats and begin to evaporate the water from the towels.

Could it be that they aren't really doing anything via meditation? Could it be that they are just supremely cold adapted and "radiating" heat normally?

Or what about that guy featured on the discovery channel who they call the Ice Man. He ran barefoot in shorts for like 20 kilometers up in the Arctic. He claimed to be able to mentally tap his internal thermostat as well. But maybe he too is just really cold adapted and also radiating heat. What do you think?

What about severe autoimmunity? Does that reverse as well? I ask because I have Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), which is a real killer — no joke. And my understanding is that once your immune system creates antibodies, they are there to stay, for life. That's the beauty of immunity isn't it?

I want to stop taking this damn rat poison (Coumadin) that is supposedly keeping me alive. And if we assume that you can't undo the existence of antibodies, then is there another part of the immune response cascade that can be affected by becoming Optimal that will essentially make Coumadin no longer necessary?

What about severe autoimmunity? Does that reverse as well? I ask because I have Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), which is a real killer — no joke. And my understanding is that once your immune system creates antibodies, they are there to stay, for life. That's the beauty of immunity isn't it?

I want to stop taking this damn rat poison (Coumadin) that is supposedly keeping me alive. And if we assume that you can't undo the existence of antibodies, then is there another part of the immune response cascade that can be affected by becoming Optimal that will essentially make Coumadin no longer necessary?

I ask, because everything has its upside and downside. And I remember seeing an interview with a young couple who were both seeking longevity through calorie restriction alone. Let me tell you, they were weak and frail.

Personally that is not for me. I would love to increase longevity, but I would also like to be a strong, fit, able-bodied person throughout those extra years. Does becoming Optimal allow for that?

I ask, because everything has its upside and downside. And I remember seeing an interview with a young couple who were both seeking longevity through calorie restriction alone. Let me tell you, they were weak and frail.

Personally that is not for me. I would love to increase longevity, but I would also like to be a strong, fit, able-bodied person throughout those extra years. Does becoming Optimal allow for that?

Hey, do you think it is possible to reverse poor vision, had poor vision after overeating of fast food,thanks a lot for youre work ,I'm saving money on your advice, since I got optimal health and lower electricity bills lol

Hey, do you think it is possible to reverse poor vision, had poor vision after overeating of fast food,thanks a lot for youre work ,I'm saving money on your advice, since I got optimal health and lower electricity bills lol

Coincidentally, I am presently in the Himalayas and as the sun rises from behind snow clad peaks, I am reading this epic blog.

The general criticisms of your thoughts in the blogosphere remind me of Galileo. I would like to ask all who criticize – Why, for heaven's sake, do they waste their time repeatedly,reading all that you write, if they are so convinced that all this is sorcery.

I have a few words to say about Himalyan monks and mindfullness. It is a general misconception that mindfullness is used to cold adapt or to create other reported miracles. It is nothing but misinformation. Mindfullness is about the mind, NOT about the body, which is a very complex system in itself.

Body is matter, mind is just a bridge between our body and our consciousness. Mindfulness is just an awareness which, believe it or not, is meant to kill the mind.

As an example, someone reads this blog – he reads through his eyes, but something else happens in the mind, the mind interprets, the mind colors, the mind changes, mixes itself; and anything that reaches inside to you is now already changed. The mind has done its trick. The mind has given its own meaning, the interpretation. The mind has commented.

That's why, unless one becomes a right listener. Right listening means the capacity to listen without the mind. Right looker means the capacity to look without the mind, the capacity to look without interpreting, judging, condemning; without evaluation, without saying yes or no. Most readers, when reading this blog, their minds are nodding yes or no. Even if the nod is invisible, it can be seen. One may not be aware, sometimes yes – the mind has interpreted. Sometimes no – the mind has interpreted, the mind has come in, evaluating. One has missed the essence of what you are trying to convey.

Just listening, not judging, suddenly one becomes aware that this mind has been the whole trouble. This is mindfullness, nothing else, just this awareness.

Mindfullness drops the mind, and then, suddenly, everything is new, because mind was making everything old through its interpretation. Suddenly you are a child again. Your eyes are fresh and young, you look at things without knowledge, without learning. Suddenly the trees have a freshness. The greenery has changed – it is not dull, it is alive. Suddenly the song of a bird is absolutely different.

@ Resurg Thanks. out of all my readers I had a feeling this would impact you. I shared this series with a researcher this AM who was very helpful to me from Stanford University. His team has emailed me back several times after I sent emails to them. This AM I sent the the CT series. I will await their words back. I think with todays sunrise the world is going to be different…….and that is good.

Coincidentally, I am presently in the Himalayas and as the sun rises from behind snow clad peaks, I am reading this epic blog.

The general criticisms of your thoughts in the blogosphere remind me of Galileo. I would like to ask all who criticize – Why, for heaven's sake, do they waste their time repeatedly,reading all that you write, if they are so convinced that all this is sorcery.

I have a few words to say about Himalyan monks and mindfullness. It is a general misconception that mindfullness is used to cold adapt or to create other reported miracles. It is nothing but misinformation. Mindfullness is about the mind, NOT about the body, which is a very complex system in itself.

Body is matter, mind is just a bridge between our body and our consciousness. Mindfulness is just an awareness which, believe it or not, is meant to kill the mind.

As an example, someone reads this blog – he reads through his eyes, but something else happens in the mind, the mind interprets, the mind colors, the mind changes, mixes itself; and anything that reaches inside to you is now already changed. The mind has done its trick. The mind has given its own meaning, the interpretation. The mind has commented.

That's why, unless one becomes a right listener. Right listening means the capacity to listen without the mind. Right looker means the capacity to look without the mind, the capacity to look without interpreting, judging, condemning; without evaluation, without saying yes or no. Most readers, when reading this blog, their minds are nodding yes or no. Even if the nod is invisible, it can be seen. One may not be aware, sometimes yes – the mind has interpreted. Sometimes no – the mind has interpreted, the mind has come in, evaluating. One has missed the essence of what you are trying to convey.

Just listening, not judging, suddenly one becomes aware that this mind has been the whole trouble. This is mindfullness, nothing else, just this awareness.

Mindfullness drops the mind, and then, suddenly, everything is new, because mind was making everything old through its interpretation. Suddenly you are a child again. Your eyes are fresh and young, you look at things without knowledge, without learning. Suddenly the trees have a freshness. The greenery has changed – it is not dull, it is alive. Suddenly the song of a bird is absolutely different.

@ Resurg Thanks. out of all my readers I had a feeling this would impact you. I shared this series with a researcher this AM who was very helpful to me from Stanford University. His team has emailed me back several times after I sent emails to them. This AM I sent the the CT series. I will await their words back. I think with todays sunrise the world is going to be different…….and that is good.

@Jon Goings Jon…….you and the crew at MDA have greater insights because you did not shoot the messenger. Those that have shot at me have no clue what they are doing because they are prisoners of their own flawed thoughts…………..and do not understand the full implications of what I have laid at their feet. When paradigm shift happens………….those who have dogma cling to it…….those who don't survive……….that is the basis of survival power laws……….today, I give you that power law to do with it what you want………it is actionable and I will teach those who want to learn how to use it……….as I said when the student in you presents to me…….the teacher in my arrives. You better than anyone know that to be true about me.

I wont let you down because you want to get better and are willing to learn………..your mind is open and your now realize things that heretofore you could not see in your blind spot. Those who let this stay in their blind spot won't answer to me………they will answer to the their telomeres 30 yrs from now and realize the arrow they threw………..came back and hit them in the heart. The true meaning of my message at the Paleo summit is the sharpest arrow I know of. I knew right away what I found and what it meant. No one had to tell me. I just had to prove it. Not to the world just to me. I did. Now I am giving you the same chance.

The world of scientists are going to look and they will find what I already know………..When you have a new reality everything changes. I knew full well this would alienate them because they do not understand just how big a deal it is……………but I am going to show them how crazy right I am. Research scientist now have this theory too, now………..

@Jon Goings Jon…….you and the crew at MDA have greater insights because you did not shoot the messenger. Those that have shot at me have no clue what they are doing because they are prisoners of their own flawed thoughts…………..and do not understand the full implications of what I have laid at their feet. When paradigm shift happens………….those who have dogma cling to it…….those who don't survive……….that is the basis of survival power laws……….today, I give you that power law to do with it what you want………it is actionable and I will teach those who want to learn how to use it……….as I said when the student in you presents to me…….the teacher in my arrives. You better than anyone know that to be true about me.

I wont let you down because you want to get better and are willing to learn………..your mind is open and your now realize things that heretofore you could not see in your blind spot. Those who let this stay in their blind spot won't answer to me………they will answer to the their telomeres 30 yrs from now and realize the arrow they threw………..came back and hit them in the heart. The true meaning of my message at the Paleo summit is the sharpest arrow I know of. I knew right away what I found and what it meant. No one had to tell me. I just had to prove it. Not to the world just to me. I did. Now I am giving you the same chance.

The world of scientists are going to look and they will find what I already know………..When you have a new reality everything changes. I knew full well this would alienate them because they do not understand just how big a deal it is……………but I am going to show them how crazy right I am. Research scientist now have this theory too, now………..

@Chrisitian So do we stoop to their mediocrity or raise them to ours? I think you'll know my answer. HCG diet is not good for chronic use……but this explains why it works partly……without cold. Its a mammal burning pathway only……….in cold If anyone thinks this is an endorsement of HCG they need to think better……..my answer changes it all. You can lose weight and reverse every neolithic disease know to man today.

I'm confused…if you're cold adapted like Phelps, you can eat 10,000 calories of carbohydrates and not have a problem, yet you said you should go on a VLCD in winter/dark months. Am I missing something?

@BenG Phelps did not eat a totally clean paleo template but he came close…….and his VO2 max enhancement was unreal. I have heard reports from professionals who worked with him and Lance that they both had Vo2maxes over 70……..which I have never seen in my life clinically. That is why now NFL teams are all cold adapting. search the Buffalo bills and cold and see what pops up…….I spoke ot two of their players and told them what I was doing and they did it……..and now the rest of the team is. Cold makes Paleo rockstarish for performance.

Im talking about patients with disease…….before they go for performance they need to recapture their telomere length…….then go for performance. If you do it backwards your depleting stems cells like most athletes today.

I have yet to find a patient who had a normal hormone panel or a telomere length greater than their age……..that told me a lot. It is also the theory behind why I wrote the blog why is Oprah still fat……..when you look at it from this perspective you see why…….she should not exercise until she recaptures here telomere.

I'm confused…if you're cold adapted like Phelps, you can eat 10,000 calories of carbohydrates and not have a problem, yet you said you should go on a VLCD in winter/dark months. Am I missing something?

@BenG Phelps did not eat a totally clean paleo template but he came close…….and his VO2 max enhancement was unreal. I have heard reports from professionals who worked with him and Lance that they both had Vo2maxes over 70……..which I have never seen in my life clinically. That is why now NFL teams are all cold adapting. search the Buffalo bills and cold and see what pops up…….I spoke ot two of their players and told them what I was doing and they did it……..and now the rest of the team is. Cold makes Paleo rockstarish for performance.

Im talking about patients with disease…….before they go for performance they need to recapture their telomere length…….then go for performance. If you do it backwards your depleting stems cells like most athletes today.

I have yet to find a patient who had a normal hormone panel or a telomere length greater than their age……..that told me a lot. It is also the theory behind why I wrote the blog why is Oprah still fat……..when you look at it from this perspective you see why…….she should not exercise until she recaptures here telomere.

I believe every word I read from day one. . . for me this is like reading a thriller! I almost wish I was overweight and had diseases so I could try it all. As I work with very elderly people then the cold TG is a hard thing to convince them to do but the rest is doable. You never mention how much and what should one drink as for what is optimal (all this water drinking obsession, is it just the Big Water business talking again)? Thank you for all you do, Dr K, I love you, too and I am addicted to your wisdom ;-). When is your birthday if I may ask..

@Evalinda My first every elderly man who tried CT with a lumbar surgery was Jan 27th……..he got a 7 inch incision and with ten screws in his back and he left the hospital in 2 days……normally they are in for 5 with this……..best part he used hardly any narcotics post op……..and came back in handed me his Percocet and told me this was the best he felt in his life…….he thinks it was the surgery and it was the cold the whole time………..80 yr old guy. It blew my mind. He is one of the happiest guys ever. His family still can figure it out.

I drink about 12 8-16 oz bottle of cold water a day……..I drink a lot……but I trained to do it.

Dr. Jack, I smiled the whole way through this post. Internally it just made me happy to see your personal optimization and your willingness to share it with the world. Tears of joy for us all! It also reminded me in a way of Larry Darrell from Somerset Maugham's "The Razor's Edge". Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now it is time to start my journey!

Dr. Jack, I smiled the whole way through this post. Internally it just made me happy to see your personal optimization and your willingness to share it with the world. Tears of joy for us all! It also reminded me in a way of Larry Darrell from Somerset Maugham's "The Razor's Edge". Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now it is time to start my journey!

@Larry Our health is directly tied to the quality of our thoughts. All thoughts precede decisions, decisions precede actions and actions lead to behaviors. Behaviors to our habits. The better you think the better your habits become. The better your habits are, allow you to approach your optimal self and avoid the mediocrity that you might become. This is how thinking can improve your DNA. Many others laugh at this but this just shows their thoughts can subjugate their paleo genes. I realize that this simple thing stops bad thinking and solves mismatches that our personal dogma creates.

Back to HCG for a sec. If part of my weight loss was prior to my ice pack sessions will that weight stay off now that I have started cold adapting? Or will only the weight loss that was accompanied by ice be permanent? Thanks again!

@Chimp When your telomere match you real age……it means you reset your chemical clocks…….then you eat the way the Post Rx of the Leptin reset dictates…….that is why everything is done by seasons just as nature intended it too……..its the circle of life.

Back to HCG for a sec. If part of my weight loss was prior to my ice pack sessions will that weight stay off now that I have started cold adapting? Or will only the weight loss that was accompanied by ice be permanent? Thanks again!

@Chimp When your telomere match you real age……it means you reset your chemical clocks…….then you eat the way the Post Rx of the Leptin reset dictates…….that is why everything is done by seasons just as nature intended it too……..its the circle of life.

Jack, we know that telomere length changes with age. But there's one more thing – in the general population, the length of people's telomeres varies widely. A 20-year-old and a 70-year-old might have telomeres that were the same length.

So, It's ok to compare your own telomere tests, but not so sure about comparing them to other people's results?

@wito true…….moreover it varies in tissues and in organs. Their are circadian cchemical clocks in organs……..this is why we can have good soma's and bad brains………or vice versa. It explains every clinical observation I have seen in my career. it was a stunning revelation to practice medicine in this fashion for 5 years. It opened my mind daily to new possibilities.

wito your observation is astute…….but see this is where my clinical skills as a surgeon help me tremendously understand how to bio hack a human……..what do you think I have been doing in Nashville for the last 5 years? Trust me I get the implications loud and clear. When a new reality is open to you……..you take full advantage of it.

For example, here is a thought now………..I would love to do a stereo tactic biopsy on a schizophrenic's frontal lobes or any mental illness patient……..the chemical clock breakage is he reason their brain is not working and they are ill……I bet their telomere lengths in their brain is ridiculously low compared to the their body chemical clocks……..dis-synchrony is likely the seat of most mental illness……….If I had chance to see a schizophrenic with a brain tumor…….I would consider offering the service to them…….it could change their specialty overnight. And the patients lives. this theory is an eye opener for brain disease……..all the protein folding issues is from the breakdown of order in the brain with a return to the entropy of the primordial system………that is how biology works in my reality now.

Question about ideal temperature for cold therapy: Does it have to be as cold as you recommend. The reason I ask, is because I am a former competitive swimmer, and unless Michael Phelps is doing something weird, I can tell you with 99.99% certainty that he's not training or competing in 50 degree water. The international standard is 77-82 degrees. And I can remember when I used to swim how we all would complain like crazy when the water got down into the high 70s. We all felt like it was way too cold.

So is something different happening with Phelps because of who he is and the workload he's under? Or is the temperature differential between 98.6 and 82 enough to produce the same or similar effects?

(we might also note that we don't know what is going on with Michael on the inside. He could be a mess and not know it, the way Mark Sisson was.)

Question about ideal temperature for cold therapy: Does it have to be as cold as you recommend. The reason I ask, is because I am a former competitive swimmer, and unless Michael Phelps is doing something weird, I can tell you with 99.99% certainty that he's not training or competing in 50 degree water. The international standard is 77-82 degrees. And I can remember when I used to swim how we all would complain like crazy when the water got down into the high 70s. We all felt like it was way too cold.

So is something different happening with Phelps because of who he is and the workload he's under? Or is the temperature differential between 98.6 and 82 enough to produce the same or similar effects?

(we might also note that we don't know what is going on with Michael on the inside. He could be a mess and not know it, the way Mark Sisson was.)

Thanks? for the reply Jack. I AM changing my damn life and all of your blog info and replies on other forums is a big part of those changes. In the past six months, and because of what I am learning from you, I have disagreed and debated with my doctors, changed doctors (took 8 weeks to get in), tested (six weeks to re-test) and re-tested(another six week wait), and re-testing again the beginning of March. It all takes lots of time and money and I AM using as much as I can of both with a husband and family who do not understand what I am doing. But they WILL when they see my results. Ice goes in the bath tonight. (Yes – they do make ice here in Florida)

Thanks? for the reply Jack. I AM changing my damn life and all of your blog info and replies on other forums is a big part of those changes. In the past six months, and because of what I am learning from you, I have disagreed and debated with my doctors, changed doctors (took 8 weeks to get in), tested (six weeks to re-test) and re-tested(another six week wait), and re-testing again the beginning of March. It all takes lots of time and money and I AM using as much as I can of both with a husband and family who do not understand what I am doing. But they WILL when they see my results. Ice goes in the bath tonight. (Yes – they do make ice here in Florida)

Stem Cells. I get the impression from what you have said, that humans can deplete their store of stems cells and thus jeopardize their ability to do cellular repair. What is the relationship between the lengthening of the telomeres and stems cells? Does your Rx replenish stem cell supply?

@The Kid its coming…….look at the Quilt right now……see a levee for Stem cells? Its there. I am just warming up………i got 30 levees and I have yet to touch many………see how deep this Quilt is? Optimal requires thinking.

Stem Cells. I get the impression from what you have said, that humans can deplete their store of stems cells and thus jeopardize their ability to do cellular repair. What is the relationship between the lengthening of the telomeres and stems cells? Does your Rx replenish stem cell supply?

@The Kid its coming…….look at the Quilt right now……see a levee for Stem cells? Its there. I am just warming up………i got 30 levees and I have yet to touch many………see how deep this Quilt is? Optimal requires thinking.

Do our accepted normal parameters of hormone levels even apply to cold adapted bodies? Can you give some input on caffeine from coffee and cannabinoid intake? Can you also talk about red wine and it's implications? Thank you

Do our accepted normal parameters of hormone levels even apply to cold adapted bodies? Can you give some input on caffeine from coffee and cannabinoid intake? Can you also talk about red wine and it's implications? Thank you

Figured I'd respond with those Taleb links you requested here instead of the other forum. But first, phenomenal post. Lived up to your hype. Your work not only improves people's health and longevity; it inspires readers to think more and question assumptions, which I think is even more valuable.

For those who have read Art De Vany's last book, you'll notice that Taleb wrote the Afterword — even though he's done nothing professionally related to diet and nutrition. He's a former options trader, famous for his books The Black Swan, Fooled by Randomness, and The Bed of Procrustes.

Figured I'd respond with those Taleb links you requested here instead of the other forum. But first, phenomenal post. Lived up to your hype. Your work not only improves people's health and longevity; it inspires readers to think more and question assumptions, which I think is even more valuable.

For those who have read Art De Vany's last book, you'll notice that Taleb wrote the Afterword — even though he's done nothing professionally related to diet and nutrition. He's a former options trader, famous for his books The Black Swan, Fooled by Randomness, and The Bed of Procrustes.

Jack, I took my second cold bath last night. It's been easier than I expected actually, but I did have a couple questions. I live in Ohio and the water comes out at about 39-40 degrees. I've been using that. I first did it on my face and had no problem and I use ice packs and can easily keep them on for 1 hour or more. The bath confused me last night though. First, is it ok that the temp is that low or should I warm it up to 50-55 degrees? Second, how can I tell the difference b/w that Cold Urticaria and goose bumps? Last night I was worried those appeared, but I've never had hives before and it did also look like goose bumps. I'm just don't want to injure myself accidentally. I don't have a skin temp thing.. I've just been making sure I stay red. Which I def do.. bright red.

Jack, I took my second cold bath last night. It's been easier than I expected actually, but I did have a couple questions. I live in Ohio and the water comes out at about 39-40 degrees. I've been using that. I first did it on my face and had no problem and I use ice packs and can easily keep them on for 1 hour or more. The bath confused me last night though. First, is it ok that the temp is that low or should I warm it up to 50-55 degrees? Second, how can I tell the difference b/w that Cold Urticaria and goose bumps? Last night I was worried those appeared, but I've never had hives before and it did also look like goose bumps. I'm just don't want to injure myself accidentally. I don't have a skin temp thing.. I've just been making sure I stay red. Which I def do.. bright red.

You built the anticipation and did not disappoint! Greatest writing yet! I can't figure out if I question everything or I am a skeptic, because part of me feared this blog would be similar to John Cage's piano performance of 4'33" (which was total silence as you probably know.) There are times I think I have changed my thoughts, but find they are not.

My neighbors used to laugh at me wearing a sweatshirt when biking with my kids to school on 80-degree, Texas days. So, more than a few have asked why I am now in short-sleeves when it is only 50. I casually reply that I am training my body to adapt to cold better, but did not even realize the truth of that statement. We'll see where all the cold baths, icing, and intentionally making goosebumps lead. Since I'm still cold at night after 4 weeks of CT, I'm guessing it will take some time.

Can you help me understand how blood sugar/insulin is related to CT? I know it stems from hypothalmus. I do not have diabetes, but have experienced a drop from normal blood sugars 86-94 down to 60-74 (in ketosis). Is this just the hypothalmus struggling to compensate? Is it desirable to have very low insulin (lower than range)?

@Dr Mommy I am asking everyone to question this……..do not believe me test yourself. Why? I know its true and when you do you are my army for change. Pretty simple. Those who choose not question their own dogma will get sick slowly and die before they should……..its pretty cut and dry now.

You built the anticipation and did not disappoint! Greatest writing yet! I can't figure out if I question everything or I am a skeptic, because part of me feared this blog would be similar to John Cage's piano performance of 4'33" (which was total silence as you probably know.) There are times I think I have changed my thoughts, but find they are not.

My neighbors used to laugh at me wearing a sweatshirt when biking with my kids to school on 80-degree, Texas days. So, more than a few have asked why I am now in short-sleeves when it is only 50. I casually reply that I am training my body to adapt to cold better, but did not even realize the truth of that statement. We'll see where all the cold baths, icing, and intentionally making goosebumps lead. Since I'm still cold at night after 4 weeks of CT, I'm guessing it will take some time.

Can you help me understand how blood sugar/insulin is related to CT? I know it stems from hypothalmus. I do not have diabetes, but have experienced a drop from normal blood sugars 86-94 down to 60-74 (in ketosis). Is this just the hypothalmus struggling to compensate? Is it desirable to have very low insulin (lower than range)?

@BK It does…….neolithic disease is total chaos…….health is perfect order. in between is mediocrity………This thinking is how Quantum mechanics meets Quantum biology in my mind simplistically. Yes long term you tan big time…….if you're not me. My genetics are not good for alpha MSH as I am from the sub tundric zone

@Bob S "How can I get off Synthroid? If I need to come to Nashville to be seen as a patient I will.

As to the implications of this work; it had already occurred to me that all medical and nutrition research needs to be done again on ketogenic cold adapted humans. Fascinating. Thank you for giving this to the world."

I am only a layman however i would posit that it depends on why you are on Synthroid to begin with.

If i were you I would stop all supplmentation for 5 days and get the following labs run on the 5th day upon a 12 – 18 hour fast.

@Bob S "How can I get off Synthroid? If I need to come to Nashville to be seen as a patient I will.

As to the implications of this work; it had already occurred to me that all medical and nutrition research needs to be done again on ketogenic cold adapted humans. Fascinating. Thank you for giving this to the world."

I am only a layman however i would posit that it depends on why you are on Synthroid to begin with.

If i were you I would stop all supplmentation for 5 days and get the following labs run on the 5th day upon a 12 – 18 hour fast.

Will I eventually get a sense of how much I need to sleep on? If i wake up hungry, it must be the more is needed for repair. I read your twitter about the protein before sleep study. I know when I was eating zone protein bars they were putting me to sleep in the middle of the day. I just wonder if I can keep adding the fat. It burns great. I am getting the die off zits but great things are happening other wise, is the coconut oil on the skin ok before the dip? I think it would be less shocking and still get me cold.

Will I eventually get a sense of how much I need to sleep on? If i wake up hungry, it must be the more is needed for repair. I read your twitter about the protein before sleep study. I know when I was eating zone protein bars they were putting me to sleep in the middle of the day. I just wonder if I can keep adding the fat. It burns great. I am getting the die off zits but great things are happening other wise, is the coconut oil on the skin ok before the dip? I think it would be less shocking and still get me cold.

@Colleen Good to know about your skin temp. Could you tell me where you got your skin thermometers at and the price range?

@Jack I guess for now then I will stick with the ice packs as those I have no problems with. I just wanted to lose weight faster and cold adapt faster so I thought the bath would help. Maybe I'll just add in some cold showers instead for now.

One other question. With the carb ratio.. Since I live in OH I'm probably the same as you in TN with needing to be keto from 10/15-3/15.. I'm a little confused on what you mean by starch vs carbs. Are you saying I can eat as many carbs as long as I'm still keto or no carbs at all? I know you eat veggies w/ fat on them, but what do you consider a starch vs just a veggie?

@Colleen Good to know about your skin temp. Could you tell me where you got your skin thermometers at and the price range?

@Jack I guess for now then I will stick with the ice packs as those I have no problems with. I just wanted to lose weight faster and cold adapt faster so I thought the bath would help. Maybe I'll just add in some cold showers instead for now.

One other question. With the carb ratio.. Since I live in OH I'm probably the same as you in TN with needing to be keto from 10/15-3/15.. I'm a little confused on what you mean by starch vs carbs. Are you saying I can eat as many carbs as long as I'm still keto or no carbs at all? I know you eat veggies w/ fat on them, but what do you consider a starch vs just a veggie?

Hey Dr. Kruse, I just listened to your interview at the Paleo Summit with Sean Croxton. Thanks for the great info. I have 2 questions and 2 comments:

Questions:

What is the thing you spoke to Dave about on Jan 8 that prompted you to track calories?

What is the minimum body fat it's possible to achieve while overeating if you are leptin sensitive and using a cold exposure protocol like the one you've outlined?

Comments: I have 2 small problems with the example you used for Michael Phelps and cold exposure during the interview.

First, he never ate 18,000 calories a day. That's a myth. Here's a passage from pages 161 and 163 from his book, No Limits:

"And there had to be eating. Lots of eating. Thousands of calories. During the Olympics, that rumor got started that I was inhaling twelve thousand calories a day. It seemed spread like wildfire. It's just not true."

"I ate whatever I wanted, really. But not twelve thousand calories per day. If I had done that, I would seriously have fit the funny headline in the New York Post during the Beijing Olympics that reported I was eating that much: "Boy Gorge."(1)

My other problem with the example you gave in the interview was that he trained in a 50 degree pool. He didn't, and neither does any other member of the Olympic swimming team. FINA regulations state that for both training and competition, pools must be 77-82 degrees at all times.(2)

I agree that cold exposure is a possible way to increase thermogenesis and cause fat loss, but I think you should use a different example. Michael Phelps never ate that much, and he didn't train in a 50 degree pool.

@Armi question one is confidential. Regarding his calorie intact……it was far north of normal but I think you might have misunderstood my real point……our metabolism become super efficient in cold allowing you to Eat LESS calories while maintaining unreal performance….Phelps stacked the deck by eating more and working in cold longer to expand his RER and VO2max higher than even Lance did……..No one knows to date how far he got. I have heard he got to 75 by I just find that hard to fathom…….but I rule out nothing these days. The reason no one knows Armi is no one is Cold Adapted…….its in the world's blind spot. Not any more. You got it loud and clear hear……….Time for Dave to test it and see if I am FOS. He is the ideal guy to do this. We'll talk more in Austin…….

…moreover this is be proven in NASA astronauts and Sherpa's. Another point……Lance and Phelps have not told the truth because they are trying to keep the edge they found. I know because I know people who know them both……..this is the kind of info that a career could be made upon. And it has for these two. There is no better faster way to increase REE, RER or V)2 max than with cold……..Dave Asprey needs cold more than he needs coffee. Coffee is gasoline that increases your engine wear as you use it…………CT is jet fuel with nitrous oxide that actually decrease engine wear as you use it. THAT IS THE MAJOR POINT. I was Dancing with Dave on 1/8…….I knew all this……and he was intrigued with what I was telling him…….but he has no framework to get it……..I bet now he is thinking long and hard about some of what we talked about. My ideas could make Dave go from a bullet proof executive to the new model of Terminator. I think that should bring the point home your getting at.

Hey Dr. Kruse, I just listened to your interview at the Paleo Summit with Sean Croxton. Thanks for the great info. I have 2 questions and 2 comments:

Questions:

What is the thing you spoke to Dave about on Jan 8 that prompted you to track calories?

What is the minimum body fat it's possible to achieve while overeating if you are leptin sensitive and using a cold exposure protocol like the one you've outlined?

Comments: I have 2 small problems with the example you used for Michael Phelps and cold exposure during the interview.

First, he never ate 18,000 calories a day. That's a myth. Here's a passage from pages 161 and 163 from his book, No Limits:

"And there had to be eating. Lots of eating. Thousands of calories. During the Olympics, that rumor got started that I was inhaling twelve thousand calories a day. It seemed spread like wildfire. It's just not true."

"I ate whatever I wanted, really. But not twelve thousand calories per day. If I had done that, I would seriously have fit the funny headline in the New York Post during the Beijing Olympics that reported I was eating that much: "Boy Gorge."(1)

My other problem with the example you gave in the interview was that he trained in a 50 degree pool. He didn't, and neither does any other member of the Olympic swimming team. FINA regulations state that for both training and competition, pools must be 77-82 degrees at all times.(2)

I agree that cold exposure is a possible way to increase thermogenesis and cause fat loss, but I think you should use a different example. Michael Phelps never ate that much, and he didn't train in a 50 degree pool.

@Armi question one is confidential. Regarding his calorie intact……it was far north of normal but I think you might have misunderstood my real point……our metabolism become super efficient in cold allowing you to Eat LESS calories while maintaining unreal performance….Phelps stacked the deck by eating more and working in cold longer to expand his RER and VO2max higher than even Lance did……..No one knows to date how far he got. I have heard he got to 75 by I just find that hard to fathom…….but I rule out nothing these days. The reason no one knows Armi is no one is Cold Adapted…….its in the world's blind spot. Not any more. You got it loud and clear hear……….Time for Dave to test it and see if I am FOS. He is the ideal guy to do this. We'll talk more in Austin…….

…moreover this is be proven in NASA astronauts and Sherpa's. Another point……Lance and Phelps have not told the truth because they are trying to keep the edge they found. I know because I know people who know them both……..this is the kind of info that a career could be made upon. And it has for these two. There is no better faster way to increase REE, RER or V)2 max than with cold……..Dave Asprey needs cold more than he needs coffee. Coffee is gasoline that increases your engine wear as you use it…………CT is jet fuel with nitrous oxide that actually decrease engine wear as you use it. THAT IS THE MAJOR POINT. I was Dancing with Dave on 1/8…….I knew all this……and he was intrigued with what I was telling him…….but he has no framework to get it……..I bet now he is thinking long and hard about some of what we talked about. My ideas could make Dave go from a bullet proof executive to the new model of Terminator. I think that should bring the point home your getting at.

@Colleen, @Erica: Ditto. Jack, please? My water temperature is 45F from the tap. I've been sitting in it for 30 minutes. Skin goes cherry pink red red within a few minutes and stays there–doesn't go white–but recovery takes a long, long time afterwards, and feet are frozen blocks–no moving toes–for half an hour. For those of us with on-demand ice water, is there a benefit to remaining submersed after skin temp reaches the desired temperature?

@Colleen, @Erica: Ditto. Jack, please? My water temperature is 45F from the tap. I've been sitting in it for 30 minutes. Skin goes cherry pink red red within a few minutes and stays there–doesn't go white–but recovery takes a long, long time afterwards, and feet are frozen blocks–no moving toes–for half an hour. For those of us with on-demand ice water, is there a benefit to remaining submersed after skin temp reaches the desired temperature?

@Jack, how "accurate" is that telomere test at Spectracell? My understanding from their site is they're comparing telomere length in your white blood cells against the general population at that age to figure out your telomere age. To me, it's sort of like comparing health on a Paleo diet to the Standard American Diet. Apples and Oranges. Let's say after the CT, you're 10 years "younger" telomerewise. Compared to a really crappy population healthwise, that's not really saying too much is it? Or really do you just have to do the comparisons to yourself (your baseline and future tests).

@James……not accurate enough for me……but the way I use it clinically now it does not matter. This is what I will reveal at Paleo fx. Kevin Cottrell came to my house and I laid all the cards on the table. How I do what I do and how I use hormone panels is the Rosetta Stone for the new healthcare paradigm. That theory will reveal my practice in Austin. My idea for healthcare will come what Brent Pottenger at Harvard in August. James great question and tells me your thinking…….but remember I have 6 years of clinical jump on every one…….What I know about how ot make this stuff actionable…….will make your head spin. There is not a disease out there I can apply this too. And he os the more remarkable thing……..people get better all the time if they listen. That is why they are dying to get in. They know I know something no one else does here in town. Its pretty unusual that a surgeon is re tooling his practice by not doing as much cutting you know what I mean? When I realized what I had I had to help people. I had to stop hurting them.

@Jack, how "accurate" is that telomere test at Spectracell? My understanding from their site is they're comparing telomere length in your white blood cells against the general population at that age to figure out your telomere age. To me, it's sort of like comparing health on a Paleo diet to the Standard American Diet. Apples and Oranges. Let's say after the CT, you're 10 years "younger" telomerewise. Compared to a really crappy population healthwise, that's not really saying too much is it? Or really do you just have to do the comparisons to yourself (your baseline and future tests).

24yr old female, overtrained, low progesterone, low DHEA, secondary amenorrhea for 1yr, used to be incredibly fit then crashed, now I can barely walk without fatigue. Horrible digestion, 1 bowel movement a week if lucky. Anything different I should do, or just jump in with both feet into a cold bath? Been paleo for a year and just started Leptin RX 3 days ago. Eating around 1100-1300 calories. Currently 115 lbs at 5"3

@AC you are a poster child for the Holy Trinity…….Yes…..you need cold and ketogenic diet with boat loads of seafood especially shellfish. I would also tell you to test…….alpha MSH level. I bet its on the ground. As it recovers your calories will jump too……and you need to eat more and the cold will help that

24yr old female, overtrained, low progesterone, low DHEA, secondary amenorrhea for 1yr, used to be incredibly fit then crashed, now I can barely walk without fatigue. Horrible digestion, 1 bowel movement a week if lucky. Anything different I should do, or just jump in with both feet into a cold bath? Been paleo for a year and just started Leptin RX 3 days ago. Eating around 1100-1300 calories. Currently 115 lbs at 5"3

@AC you are a poster child for the Holy Trinity…….Yes…..you need cold and ketogenic diet with boat loads of seafood especially shellfish. I would also tell you to test…….alpha MSH level. I bet its on the ground. As it recovers your calories will jump too……and you need to eat more and the cold will help that

Sorry to be a pest, but I am resubmitting this because my husband needs a little more clarity on how to begin the CT protocol for his situation.

Did I understand your post correctly? Does the CT protocol work for someone who has had their thyroid removed by radiation? Someone who is taking Synthroid? My husband has lost 20.5 pounds in just twenty-six days on the Leptin RX (needs to lose about 75 pounds more, and is considering adding CT to his program. He is a little worried about starting it, because as he is losing weight his hands have become very cold. Would applying ice to the thyroid area alone do any good for a starting place, or should he just bite the bullet and get in the tub with the correct temperature readings? Also, we are working on the lighting exposure by going to bed around 10:00. I know it is only a small step, but it is a start. My husband had special warfare training in the Navy, years ago, and never really understood why they always were getting sprayed with the cold water. He does now! I would really like to see what the CT would do for his back and knees! I have very high hopes!

Thank you so very much for your dedication to improving medicine and giving information to would-be-patients to be able to decided whether or not they want to help themselves.

"your metabolism become super efficient in cold allowing you to Eat LESS calories while maintaining unreal performance"

So because they eat less due to greater energy efficiency, that translates into improved performance? If cold exposure increases energy needs, then how does eating less than they need improve performance?

"Lance and Phelps have not told the truth because they are trying to keep the edge they found."

Are Lance and Phelps saying they're eating less than they actually are, or more?

"There is no better faster way to increase REE, RER or V)2 max than with cold"

The first two are quite possible, but VO2 Max is not a good indicator of performance. Athletes with a low VO2 Max often outperform those with higher ones, and VO2 Max does not consistently increase with training. In some cases, it goes down. In the few cases where VO2 Max has increased, it doesn't translate into improved performance. How would having a higher REE and RER translate into better performance?

Armi……Not true. The data is flawed. VO2 max is a view to autophagy …….correlates with DHEA levels and low IL-6……….which means negative leptin levels………ONLY COLD YOU HAVE not looked a COLD ADAPTED Humans………that is why you think VO2 max blows. Lance, Phelps and others know different. That is why you have questions……..Dave needs new hacks. I got plenty for him and you. Quote all the studies you want…….most have not been studied in cold adapted humans…….they were all warm adapted in warm diets……means VO2 max would be correlates badly……..SEE it yet?

"your metabolism become super efficient in cold allowing you to Eat LESS calories while maintaining unreal performance"

So because they eat less due to greater energy efficiency, that translates into improved performance? If cold exposure increases energy needs, then how does eating less than they need improve performance?

"Lance and Phelps have not told the truth because they are trying to keep the edge they found."

Are Lance and Phelps saying they're eating less than they actually are, or more?

"There is no better faster way to increase REE, RER or V)2 max than with cold"

The first two are quite possible, but VO2 Max is not a good indicator of performance. Athletes with a low VO2 Max often outperform those with higher ones, and VO2 Max does not consistently increase with training. In some cases, it goes down. In the few cases where VO2 Max has increased, it doesn't translate into improved performance. How would having a higher REE and RER translate into better performance?

Armi……Not true. The data is flawed. VO2 max is a view to autophagy …….correlates with DHEA levels and low IL-6……….which means negative leptin levels………ONLY COLD YOU HAVE not looked a COLD ADAPTED Humans………that is why you think VO2 max blows. Lance, Phelps and others know different. That is why you have questions……..Dave needs new hacks. I got plenty for him and you. Quote all the studies you want…….most have not been studied in cold adapted humans…….they were all warm adapted in warm diets……means VO2 max would be correlates badly……..SEE it yet?

@Jack I read your levee on stem cells and what it tells me is that I'm screwed. I buried my head in a swimming pool for 20 years while grossly Leptin Resistent, which just fatigued me beyond belief. I was so torn down I had to retire. Then I blew up to 305 lbs. and spent years banging my head against the wall at the gym trying to get fit. Now I'm 40 and can barely do a workout anymore. The least little exercise fatigues the hell out me. Not sure where to go from here. I'm in week 4 of the reset without cold therapy. Should add cold now?

@the Kid……test your telomere and stop raising your cortisol…….then you'll know. And when you find out I will tell how to rewind it. I have elderly people getting better daily……..way worse issues than you. My clinic is like the movie Cocoon now. I just saw two today that came in floored……..with their results. This is actionable for you now…….you have control back now.

I notice with CT my appetite is reduced significantly. I had a pizza (ultra thin crust box kind)(Grrr…I can't be rude in public) and was BURNING up…I needed to dunk my face in ice water right away! I also went for a walk outside w/ minimal clothes b/c I needed to cool off! This morning I had a good breakfast w/ ground beef, eggs and Co milk…and still had some kind of gut rot w/ explosive diarrhea. (lol) Just drank some water and feel sort of better. LOL Ok, honestly I'm not Optimal. I am starting to get to the point I can't ignore it. After three months of SWEET eating + karate from a few months prior to that then stopping karate + good eating (not even talking about fast food here) I had a month of explosive diarrhea (but it felt REALLY good then…not in recent months though, damn). In that month I lost weight (was already fit etc.) but lost and was kind of skinny + muscle. I've obviously gained since then, but slowly and seem to stop gaining weight again. I still look 'athletic' but with a booty and boobs. LOL (People prefer that…not me though). Hard to explain, I'm really not overweight at all. Anyways, obviously I need to be more disciplined (b/c people get so damned offended if I don't eat what they eat…).

The CT is weird though…haha. I think that will help me get on better track b/c I think I physically can't 'indulge' as easily w/o having some side effect. I also think that it is releasing some kind of inflammation (which is good). This is kind of opposite from Micheal Phelps since he eats insane amounts…where as for (as stated above) it seems to reduce my appetite. O, when I was an early teen I was on a swim team and ate RIDICULOUSLY large portions (obviously small + muscle)…lol.

My goals are to regain muscle and get some abs. I know for women it's not the best to be too muscular, but I like a slim frame w/ rock solid muscles (not body builder look —ew).

In starvation, diabetes, sugar levels under strain
You need fuel to keep going saving glucose for your brain
Ketone bodies, Ketone bodies, both acetoacetate
And its partner on reduction, 3-hydroxybutyrate.

Glucagon's up, with low glucose, insulin is down in phase
Fatty acids mobilised by hormone-sensitive lipase
Ketone bodies, Ketone bodies, all start thus from white fat cell
Where through lack of glycerol-P, TG making's down as well.

For my M.S., I like that ACTH is activated with CT. Back in 1990 when I was first diagnozed and having symptoms, I was put in the hospital of IV therapy with ACTH… and sent home with a prescription of ACTH (taken IM). Overall, with the Leptin Reset, plus CT, I love the idea that this sets up an anti-inflammatory environment. Maybe, just maybe this bilateral foot numbness will go away (it's been here since 9/18/2011 after losing 40sh pounds with hCG injections). Not to mention improving overall health and longevity.

For my M.S., I like that ACTH is activated with CT. Back in 1990 when I was first diagnozed and having symptoms, I was put in the hospital of IV therapy with ACTH… and sent home with a prescription of ACTH (taken IM). Overall, with the Leptin Reset, plus CT, I love the idea that this sets up an anti-inflammatory environment. Maybe, just maybe this bilateral foot numbness will go away (it's been here since 9/18/2011 after losing 40sh pounds with hCG injections). Not to mention improving overall health and longevity.

@susan My wife took three yrs…….dont bother. You become the change you seek and then when they see what you become you wont need to speak a word. My wife can attest to it. So can my daughter and son. My son was my first human experiment………..his story is amazing.

*I meant to say I stopped the karate + good eating in August. I'm trying to eat way better now. Last month I was trying the Rx and felt I was gaining (more like swelling). I honestly felt that my hormones were kind of wonky (even for a normal 26 y/o female). So obviously I'm not Optimal. I have reduced in swelling/gaining I think. But now I have a minuscule appetite as mentioned above due to CT. It would be easy just to get tested…but that's not an option atm. Besides I'm young, so it's hard to imagine I'm any less than optimal. It's better off for me though, b/c I can change things now and blow people out of the water.

Thanks, Jack! Oh, I am definitely doing CT now (four times now)… awaiting delivery of an infrared thermometer to ensure north Texas water temps are cold enough. I added a frozen gel pack yesterday and did get to shivering for the first time. Besides various supplements, I use Avonex (interferon beta-1a) and would love to stop that prescription, if that is even wise. The effects of M.S. are scarey indeed.

Thanks, Jack! Oh, I am definitely doing CT now (four times now)… awaiting delivery of an infrared thermometer to ensure north Texas water temps are cold enough. I added a frozen gel pack yesterday and did get to shivering for the first time. Besides various supplements, I use Avonex (interferon beta-1a) and would love to stop that prescription, if that is even wise. The effects of M.S. are scarey indeed.

@CindyToday dawns a new day for our species……a new plan of thinking has emerged. Today is a day for thinking. Do I shoot an arrow, or do I think about changing my life forever? Today you have the opportunity to become the true architect of your own life plan. You have all the tools at your disposal now……the next decision is yours and yours alone. If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. That has lead our species to mediocrity. Moreover, guess what they have planned for you? A system designed to catch you after years of bad thinking in a web called healthcare. So my answer is what do you have to lose really when this is the alternative?

@CindyToday dawns a new day for our species……a new plan of thinking has emerged. Today is a day for thinking. Do I shoot an arrow, or do I think about changing my life forever? Today you have the opportunity to become the true architect of your own life plan. You have all the tools at your disposal now……the next decision is yours and yours alone. If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. That has lead our species to mediocrity. Moreover, guess what they have planned for you? A system designed to catch you after years of bad thinking in a web called healthcare. So my answer is what do you have to lose really when this is the alternative?

Hi Dr. Jack: Reading about cytokines/ATP/mitochondria here, I was wondering if it's possible I'm having a cytokine storm from Plaquenil. Stopped it 12 days ago after taking 15 200 mg pills over 7.5 days, was in the ER 2 days ago felt like I was dying -weakness,could hardly breathe or talk,body felt like one big heartbeat,hypersensitive — but all tests (EKG/ CXRAY/CT&regular Bloodwork/ stressTest/ O2sat)were normal. Esophageal spasm was ruled out. Was given Ativan and aspirin and felt better yesterday, but today the symptoms are starting all over. What should my drs be looking for? One of them said something about the cytokines, ATP and oxygen, and even though I have a 100% o2 sat, the mitochondria are not able to get to the oxygen somehow. Do you have any ideas?

Hi Dr. Jack: Reading about cytokines/ATP/mitochondria here, I was wondering if it's possible I'm having a cytokine storm from Plaquenil. Stopped it 12 days ago after taking 15 200 mg pills over 7.5 days, was in the ER 2 days ago felt like I was dying -weakness,could hardly breathe or talk,body felt like one big heartbeat,hypersensitive — but all tests (EKG/ CXRAY/CT&regular Bloodwork/ stressTest/ O2sat)were normal. Esophageal spasm was ruled out. Was given Ativan and aspirin and felt better yesterday, but today the symptoms are starting all over. What should my drs be looking for? One of them said something about the cytokines, ATP and oxygen, and even though I have a 100% o2 sat, the mitochondria are not able to get to the oxygen somehow. Do you have any ideas?

I have been lifting weights in an unheated garage (40 degrees today) in shorts & shoes only. I am amazed at how quickly my body has taken to this protocol. Two weeks ago I would have thought I was crazy (maybe I am!) but I love the way it is making me feel. A shoulder that had bothered me since July is suddenly feeling a ton better. I am blown away to be honest! I follow it up with a cold shower as I am working my way to immersion. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning! Thanks Dr. Jack!

@Larry why amazed? You're a mammal and this is our species' biochemistry in play. This is not my rules…….they are evolutions. I just found that we are thermoplastic and that we rarely use our best adaptations. I am a connector. Hence, I came up with the QUILT concept to explain it to lay people.

This blind spot was the missing link. Now you see the Primal Instinct in this whole thing…….moreover I have given you the science. And I am not close to done.

I have been lifting weights in an unheated garage (40 degrees today) in shorts & shoes only. I am amazed at how quickly my body has taken to this protocol. Two weeks ago I would have thought I was crazy (maybe I am!) but I love the way it is making me feel. A shoulder that had bothered me since July is suddenly feeling a ton better. I am blown away to be honest! I follow it up with a cold shower as I am working my way to immersion. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning! Thanks Dr. Jack!

@Larry why amazed? You're a mammal and this is our species' biochemistry in play. This is not my rules…….they are evolutions. I just found that we are thermoplastic and that we rarely use our best adaptations. I am a connector. Hence, I came up with the QUILT concept to explain it to lay people.

This blind spot was the missing link. Now you see the Primal Instinct in this whole thing…….moreover I have given you the science. And I am not close to done.

@ren Don't know why you're taking Plaquenil, but I have antiphospholipid syndrome and Palquenil is often prescribed. APS patients can experience cytokine storms in what are known CAPS (catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome). This is serious stuff. So you might want to make sure you don't have APS and that you haven't thrown any clots. If you need info on APS, they've got a great forum over at HealthUnlocked. Good luck.

@ren Don't know why you're taking Plaquenil, but I have antiphospholipid syndrome and Palquenil is often prescribed. APS patients can experience cytokine storms in what are known CAPS (catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome). This is serious stuff. So you might want to make sure you don't have APS and that you haven't thrown any clots. If you need info on APS, they've got a great forum over at HealthUnlocked. Good luck.

Doc – you've mentioned Dr. Terry Wahls a few times. Her story is truly amazing. Ever since hearing it I've pretty much tried to combine her 'diet plan' with the leptin rx, including lots of greens and sulfur-rich veggies while staying low carb (< 50 gm).

It now seems as though this carb # may be changing for you. If we're now talking ketogenic diet should we still be including these veggies?

Doc – you've mentioned Dr. Terry Wahls a few times. Her story is truly amazing. Ever since hearing it I've pretty much tried to combine her 'diet plan' with the leptin rx, including lots of greens and sulfur-rich veggies while staying low carb (< 50 gm).

It now seems as though this carb # may be changing for you. If we're now talking ketogenic diet should we still be including these veggies?

@Armi I would not expect you to…….this is a new biochemical reality that has never been tested in the literature……..but needs to. The Sherpa's are the only humans I know who live this way constantly. And the Monks………and a few elite athletes who wont tell anyone what they are really doing.

Dr K even before you put this post up I felt a sense of relief as if I had some hope. I've been an RN for 52 years. I do not want to spent the rest of my life in the Dr. office, hospital and/or nursing home. I was developing a plan. So now I have another one.

As you have read, my mother came from a starvation state when she was pregnant with me. Luckily I was born in the coolness of March and spent a lot of time at Grandma's old fashioned wood stove heated house.

Last summer I started the HCG diet using the homeopathic product, it was hard, I lost some weight not much and maybe some muscle. I did notice I ate more on the HCG diet than I was accustomed to and then realized how close to anorexia I was, metabolism was very low probably. Then in Dec 2011 (outside temp in the teens),I got some HCG from overseas that I checked with a pregnancy test. I took measurements and lost weight only in the trunk area which is what I wanted.

I live in an apartment at 5500 feet in NM. These places aren't insulated and the temp drops 5 degrees every 5 feet from the heat source! The blower wakes me up at night so I keep the heat low at night. I was very uncomfortable doing the diet at this time but I lost the most weight and in the right places. I also slept like a rock. Then I discovered this blog just in time to transition right to the paleoketogenic diet. I have not gained weight and have even lost another 4 lbs. I keep track of my calories/fat/pro/cho right now so I don't go too low because of my history. I noticed at this time that my body temperature normalized (checked in early am)and after I went on the ketogenic diet I felt more comfortable temp wise. However, my DHEA was quite low (138). I'm supplementing now.

I'm taking your advice to go back to Grandma's ways and have turned my house temp down some. I live alone. I wear a light cap on my head inside. I found some thin cheap cotton gloves from a jewelry supplier (to polish jewelry, I get them by the dozen), I cut out some of the finger tips and wear them in the house. I don't have to wear a sweater if I do this. I got this idea from some of those old pictures where the women are wearing gloves inside in the winter with fingertips cut off. It does make a difference.

I did do the MG citrate, routine. The MG citrate was hard on my gut so will do the Natural Calm if it becomes necessary later. I'm taking added probiotics etc. I guess I will need to play with this issue for quite a while more.

Question: Will I adjust better if I do a few cool baths as I ratchet the temp down? Any other advice?

Truthfully, I am a real chicken when it comes to this even if it is good for me. I'm amazed that I'm as comfortable as I am given that last winter I was miserable and cold all the time. I'm going to get the telemere test as this will give me some more information. One thing all this is doing is getting me to get some testing done. Well, this is my report. Carry on everyone. I am reading all your comments.

Dr K even before you put this post up I felt a sense of relief as if I had some hope. I've been an RN for 52 years. I do not want to spent the rest of my life in the Dr. office, hospital and/or nursing home. I was developing a plan. So now I have another one.

As you have read, my mother came from a starvation state when she was pregnant with me. Luckily I was born in the coolness of March and spent a lot of time at Grandma's old fashioned wood stove heated house.

Last summer I started the HCG diet using the homeopathic product, it was hard, I lost some weight not much and maybe some muscle. I did notice I ate more on the HCG diet than I was accustomed to and then realized how close to anorexia I was, metabolism was very low probably. Then in Dec 2011 (outside temp in the teens),I got some HCG from overseas that I checked with a pregnancy test. I took measurements and lost weight only in the trunk area which is what I wanted.

I live in an apartment at 5500 feet in NM. These places aren't insulated and the temp drops 5 degrees every 5 feet from the heat source! The blower wakes me up at night so I keep the heat low at night. I was very uncomfortable doing the diet at this time but I lost the most weight and in the right places. I also slept like a rock. Then I discovered this blog just in time to transition right to the paleoketogenic diet. I have not gained weight and have even lost another 4 lbs. I keep track of my calories/fat/pro/cho right now so I don't go too low because of my history. I noticed at this time that my body temperature normalized (checked in early am)and after I went on the ketogenic diet I felt more comfortable temp wise. However, my DHEA was quite low (138). I'm supplementing now.

I'm taking your advice to go back to Grandma's ways and have turned my house temp down some. I live alone. I wear a light cap on my head inside. I found some thin cheap cotton gloves from a jewelry supplier (to polish jewelry, I get them by the dozen), I cut out some of the finger tips and wear them in the house. I don't have to wear a sweater if I do this. I got this idea from some of those old pictures where the women are wearing gloves inside in the winter with fingertips cut off. It does make a difference.

I did do the MG citrate, routine. The MG citrate was hard on my gut so will do the Natural Calm if it becomes necessary later. I'm taking added probiotics etc. I guess I will need to play with this issue for quite a while more.

Question: Will I adjust better if I do a few cool baths as I ratchet the temp down? Any other advice?

Truthfully, I am a real chicken when it comes to this even if it is good for me. I'm amazed that I'm as comfortable as I am given that last winter I was miserable and cold all the time. I'm going to get the telemere test as this will give me some more information. One thing all this is doing is getting me to get some testing done. Well, this is my report. Carry on everyone. I am reading all your comments.

We're all better off for the work you've done. You're a thinker who has unshackled himself from both the status quo and the fear of being assaulted for challenging that status quo. And you're a doer who has carried out those thoughts into action.

Whether your conclusions are right or wrong [or something in between] might just be secondary to the importance of how you arrived at them, and your willingness to take us through that process step by step, and hang yourself out here, open to any and all rebuke, by doing so.

We're all better off for the work you've done. You're a thinker who has unshackled himself from both the status quo and the fear of being assaulted for challenging that status quo. And you're a doer who has carried out those thoughts into action.

Whether your conclusions are right or wrong [or something in between] might just be secondary to the importance of how you arrived at them, and your willingness to take us through that process step by step, and hang yourself out here, open to any and all rebuke, by doing so.

Hey Doc -Until your line of "Trinity" cooling apparel hits the runway at fashion week, would it be a good idea to invest in a cooling vest/cooling clothing? I am looking for something now that is somewhat no too ugly/expensive. If I could cool a bigger surface area then just ice packs alone (which leak like crazy!)it might not be so bad that I don't have tub right now.. I could easily get in 4 hrs a day this way.. Whatcha think?

Hey Doc -Until your line of "Trinity" cooling apparel hits the runway at fashion week, would it be a good idea to invest in a cooling vest/cooling clothing? I am looking for something now that is somewhat no too ugly/expensive. If I could cool a bigger surface area then just ice packs alone (which leak like crazy!)it might not be so bad that I don't have tub right now.. I could easily get in 4 hrs a day this way.. Whatcha think?

ChimpChick, I tried using a cooling vest early on (I'm an avid sport touring motorcyclist, so I already had one).

It works, but needs "recharged" fairly often. The human body is one hell of a thermal source, and is quite capable of warming a absorbing gel vest up pretty quick, combined with the effects of ambient air temperature.

It's better than not doing it at all, and also might be nice to use outdoors in conjunction with exercise and cold ambient temps.

But all in all, I get better "bang for the buck" with water immersion, though I do have the benefit of 40F tap water. If I was still living in, say San Diego or Tampa, where the water temp was 65-70F, a wet cooling vest coming out of the fridge/freezer might be a more effective option.

ChimpChick, I tried using a cooling vest early on (I'm an avid sport touring motorcyclist, so I already had one).

It works, but needs "recharged" fairly often. The human body is one hell of a thermal source, and is quite capable of warming a absorbing gel vest up pretty quick, combined with the effects of ambient air temperature.

It's better than not doing it at all, and also might be nice to use outdoors in conjunction with exercise and cold ambient temps.

But all in all, I get better "bang for the buck" with water immersion, though I do have the benefit of 40F tap water. If I was still living in, say San Diego or Tampa, where the water temp was 65-70F, a wet cooling vest coming out of the fridge/freezer might be a more effective option.

Since Phelps and Armstrong are cold adapted, would you hazard a guess as to the status of their telomere lengths? Is there an exception to the effects of endurance training, a.k.a. chronic cardio, when CT comes into the picture? I can only guess an answer of yes based on the story of the Sherpas, but clarification would be appreciated.

@Mike I think they are both shorter than their age even though they are cold adapted……why ? Neither are employing the full optimal program…….just parts. So I would expect them to have partial success like a person on CRON, HCG, the Leptin Rx would without the cold…………You need all for the full effect

@Armi 1.yes
2.maybe……depends upon your goals…..
3.maybe……..that we will have to explore in Austin.
4. generally yes but it depends upon your location on the planet…….and how you are adapted thermally
5. maybe…….again what are your goals?
Questions: 1. I think neither of them knew that the ketogenic diet is the optimal diet. I think this is where neolithic diet/nutritionists screwed them I think there is a higher bar of performance
2. The Leptin Rx is designed for someone who is mismatched and warm adapted. Your two examples do not fit the bill and neither were LR before they began either.
3. Major increases.

@Armi 1.yes
2.maybe……depends upon your goals…..
3.maybe……..that we will have to explore in Austin.
4. generally yes but it depends upon your location on the planet…….and how you are adapted thermally
5. maybe…….again what are your goals?
Questions: 1. I think neither of them knew that the ketogenic diet is the optimal diet. I think this is where neolithic diet/nutritionists screwed them I think there is a higher bar of performance
2. The Leptin Rx is designed for someone who is mismatched and warm adapted. Your two examples do not fit the bill and neither were LR before they began either.
3. Major increases.

Phelps and Armstrong are on "gluten moderate" diets as are a lot of other athletes. Just google "tour de france diet" and read a few of the links.

BTW, Phelps has publicly stated that he eats no where near the 18,000 calories reported by some outlets. He also said all the sample menus of his diet (12,000cal)that were published in the papers were completely false!

I would bet Phelps eats a much more moderate 4 to 6 thousand calories a day.

@Monte 1. agreed hence my comment to Armi below, so I think humans have more performance left to gain
2. I know what he said but the point is not the shear amount of calories……the fact that he ate even 5K a day and did what he did is amazing. You are tied to the dogma of calories…..we have Sherpa's that NASA has ridiculous data on for our astronauts. Ray Cronise has spoke about that many places. More over, we have the other side of the equation where people are gaining weight on low calories no matter what they do. The real point you're missing is that all mammals have a pathway in their brain that allows them to do some amazing things when they are in that environment. Humans are in that groups. I could care less how many calories anyone ate…….ever. But what is critical is that we have an ability to eat small amounts of food and not be hungry (HCG like) which allows us to naturally calorie restrict to lengthen our telomeres while increasing performance, immunity, adrenal function, thyroid function ……etc. taken together this is nothing short of stunning. The Sherpa's and Monk are the best examples…….but the optimal fuel for this pathways appears to be a ketogenic paleolithic diet. When all these criteria are met……in a cold environment things dramatically change. That means we are thermoplastic. It means any studies done on us without controlling for it is essentially worthless. Moreover, this completely explains why we see so much literature whose results confound us with 180 opposite results. It seems to be perplexing until you consider the animals ability to adapt its own biochemistry. Our species has that ability and heretofore no one has realized it.

No, we were just wondering if the core sample was more or less brain cells than people kill with cigarettes or wine. There are so many that bite the dust with sugar, we thought the sample was fewer… sorry. We have to put things in our own tortured perspective sometimes. The hospital is full of crappy workers. We were just discussing someone bringing up my daughter being an organ donor at a very frightened and confused time, when it seemed very irrelevant. She wasn't "well enough" to give them permission to speak to me. She never wants that said to her again or anyone else in that circumstance. And one girl saying she might die and the sadist charge nurse saying "yes you might". And you lose another nights sleep thinking someone needs help. Nurse Ratchets are real. Great big ugly guys love pinning you to the ground and saying you are being difficult when they speak inappropriately to you and you look at them like the insects they are behaving like. And they love speaking in Spanish when they think you don't understand and deny the bullshit they say. And you can't get them fired. It sucks being the perfect victim. So if anything would move the process forward… Ya know. It was a global gesture. And selfish, might learn something. For now, it will be a year long winter and wait for the poor person with the brain tumor to help all of us. I guarantee someone will step up and fast. Thanks for offering this to all of us.

No, we were just wondering if the core sample was more or less brain cells than people kill with cigarettes or wine. There are so many that bite the dust with sugar, we thought the sample was fewer… sorry. We have to put things in our own tortured perspective sometimes. The hospital is full of crappy workers. We were just discussing someone bringing up my daughter being an organ donor at a very frightened and confused time, when it seemed very irrelevant. She wasn't "well enough" to give them permission to speak to me. She never wants that said to her again or anyone else in that circumstance. And one girl saying she might die and the sadist charge nurse saying "yes you might". And you lose another nights sleep thinking someone needs help. Nurse Ratchets are real. Great big ugly guys love pinning you to the ground and saying you are being difficult when they speak inappropriately to you and you look at them like the insects they are behaving like. And they love speaking in Spanish when they think you don't understand and deny the bullshit they say. And you can't get them fired. It sucks being the perfect victim. So if anything would move the process forward… Ya know. It was a global gesture. And selfish, might learn something. For now, it will be a year long winter and wait for the poor person with the brain tumor to help all of us. I guarantee someone will step up and fast. Thanks for offering this to all of us.

@Lee inflammation in the body is inflammation regardless of the source. Its the amount and chronicity that matter and timing of when it occurs. The younger we are the more damaging the effect. This is why epigenetics is critical for hominid evolutionary understanding. I think it makes sense now why the Neoanderthals vanished in the latitudes they did.

Hi, Jack. Thanks for the great read. Regarding cold therapy and becoming cold-adapted, as well as maintaining a ketogenic diet and a zero-carb diet during the winter, what are the implications for someone living in a generally warm and sunny climate (like myself in southers Arizona)? Here in Tucson, in the middle of February, temperatures are already rising, with the average high now being around 65 degrees. It seems that cold therapy would be incongruent with the natural environment around me. The first 'Erica' above inquired similarly and you haven't answered her questions. I'm concerned as to the effects of practicing cold therapy for a portion of the day and then enduring 90+ degree weather the rest of the time.

@Gloria not much if you eat correctly and avoid mismatches. I will say this……I think the chance for mismatches is greatest in the areas of the globe above the equator and below the poles……like where the UK is and where NE and parts of Canada lie. It helps explain the MS geography too. Now would my diet be tight if I was in the equatorial sun……yes. I think the fish and coconuts with chocolate confer some major help to equatorial humans for health. See our leptin receptor primordial condition is not warm adapted…….its cold adapted. Why do I say this…….it is structurally related to IL-6 a very inflammatory cytokine.

Hi, Jack. Thanks for the great read. Regarding cold therapy and becoming cold-adapted, as well as maintaining a ketogenic diet and a zero-carb diet during the winter, what are the implications for someone living in a generally warm and sunny climate (like myself in southers Arizona)? Here in Tucson, in the middle of February, temperatures are already rising, with the average high now being around 65 degrees. It seems that cold therapy would be incongruent with the natural environment around me. The first 'Erica' above inquired similarly and you haven't answered her questions. I'm concerned as to the effects of practicing cold therapy for a portion of the day and then enduring 90+ degree weather the rest of the time.

@Gloria not much if you eat correctly and avoid mismatches. I will say this……I think the chance for mismatches is greatest in the areas of the globe above the equator and below the poles……like where the UK is and where NE and parts of Canada lie. It helps explain the MS geography too. Now would my diet be tight if I was in the equatorial sun……yes. I think the fish and coconuts with chocolate confer some major help to equatorial humans for health. See our leptin receptor primordial condition is not warm adapted…….its cold adapted. Why do I say this…….it is structurally related to IL-6 a very inflammatory cytokine.

First night putting my face in the cold water after a protein/fat meal of steak au poivre cooked in butter, broccoli cooked in coconut oil, and coconut oil/cacao for dessert. The water out of the tap (I am in New York) was perfect, 53 degrees, so no need for ice, correct? The hardest part for me was not being able to breathe and submerging my face, but I lasted until I needed to take a breath. Did I do it right Dr. K? I had a wet and red face coming up. It really wasn't so bad at all. How many more nights do I do this until I can start doing the bathtub with cold water and compression shirt? And I don't think I'll need ice in the tub if our tap water is 53 degrees. Is that also correct? Thank you Dr. K.

@ Jack, perhaps we should go back to the Greek classics! this is from wikipedia "The Greek physician Hippocrates, the namesake of the Hippocratic Oath and arguably the world's first modern doctor, advocated the packing of wounded soldiers in snow and ice.[3]" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_hypother…

@ Jack, perhaps we should go back to the Greek classics! this is from wikipedia "The Greek physician Hippocrates, the namesake of the Hippocratic Oath and arguably the world's first modern doctor, advocated the packing of wounded soldiers in snow and ice.[3]" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_hypother…

I have been pushing the limits of 'cold' since your Feb 11 blog on the evolution of the leptin reset. Living in Fairbanks, Alaska, I understand cold, and it's dangers. I never thought of using it for good, so I was intrigued to say the least.

I have always thought of myself as 'cold adapted' because I can run from my truck to my office without a coat at -40. I am always more warm-blooded than those around me, however, I gained lots of weight and have non-hashi hypothyroid for which I take Synthroid. I have been eating paleo/primal blueprint for 1 year–but not ketogenic. During that year I lost over 50lbs, normalized my trigs, ldl, hdl, and bp. I had quit taking Synthroid last summer, and felt great until December when my toes were freezing easily and my TSH crept up to 4.0. I restarted Synthroid in Jan, and have an endo appointment at the end of March, where I will get a prescription for natural dessicated thyroid (but maybe won't need it forever).

The outside air temp has been between -10 and +10 the past 3 weeks. I work inside most of the day, but after work, I started spending more and more time outside minimally clothed. At first I could only take a few minutes. Now I can stay outside as long as I want. When it is below zero, my arms and belly get to about 50 degrees (as indicated by my infrared temp meter) in 10 minutes or so and turn a nice pink. I do chores such as stacking firewood, shoveling snow, and running the snow-blower in shorts and a t-shirt. I don't shiver any more, and when I come inside our 72 deg house, it feels like I stepped into a furnace. Usually after spending time outside, I will get on the treadmill in my 45 deg garage and do 30 minutes or so at a 10deg incline on 3mph. As I do this, I can feel my skin heat back up. Now, when I go to bed, I am a literal furnace! My wife can't get over how I radiate heat like a fireplace.

I am down 5 lbs since I started this, but am not overweight. I eat to satiety twice a day and have re-instituted a ketogenic diet. I can't wait until next winter, when I will have a full work-out set outside.

So, for everyone wondering "how do I know if I'm cold adapted", I submit these cues: 1. You can get your skin temp down to 50-55 degrees without shivering. 2. When you re-enter a warm atomosphere, you feel the heat radiating from your body and you are extremely comfortable, not shivering and cowering under a blanket.

Luckily, I have about 60 more days of cold weather to see how my ketogenic diet does for me as I play in the cold.

I have been pushing the limits of 'cold' since your Feb 11 blog on the evolution of the leptin reset. Living in Fairbanks, Alaska, I understand cold, and it's dangers. I never thought of using it for good, so I was intrigued to say the least.

I have always thought of myself as 'cold adapted' because I can run from my truck to my office without a coat at -40. I am always more warm-blooded than those around me, however, I gained lots of weight and have non-hashi hypothyroid for which I take Synthroid. I have been eating paleo/primal blueprint for 1 year–but not ketogenic. During that year I lost over 50lbs, normalized my trigs, ldl, hdl, and bp. I had quit taking Synthroid last summer, and felt great until December when my toes were freezing easily and my TSH crept up to 4.0. I restarted Synthroid in Jan, and have an endo appointment at the end of March, where I will get a prescription for natural dessicated thyroid (but maybe won't need it forever).

The outside air temp has been between -10 and +10 the past 3 weeks. I work inside most of the day, but after work, I started spending more and more time outside minimally clothed. At first I could only take a few minutes. Now I can stay outside as long as I want. When it is below zero, my arms and belly get to about 50 degrees (as indicated by my infrared temp meter) in 10 minutes or so and turn a nice pink. I do chores such as stacking firewood, shoveling snow, and running the snow-blower in shorts and a t-shirt. I don't shiver any more, and when I come inside our 72 deg house, it feels like I stepped into a furnace. Usually after spending time outside, I will get on the treadmill in my 45 deg garage and do 30 minutes or so at a 10deg incline on 3mph. As I do this, I can feel my skin heat back up. Now, when I go to bed, I am a literal furnace! My wife can't get over how I radiate heat like a fireplace.

I am down 5 lbs since I started this, but am not overweight. I eat to satiety twice a day and have re-instituted a ketogenic diet. I can't wait until next winter, when I will have a full work-out set outside.

So, for everyone wondering "how do I know if I'm cold adapted", I submit these cues: 1. You can get your skin temp down to 50-55 degrees without shivering. 2. When you re-enter a warm atomosphere, you feel the heat radiating from your body and you are extremely comfortable, not shivering and cowering under a blanket.

Luckily, I have about 60 more days of cold weather to see how my ketogenic diet does for me as I play in the cold.

Thanks for opening up and writing this. I am a mountain biker and interested about when you talk about Lance and his training. Let me get this out there, I understand what I do is not good for me in the short or long run but It's my passion and I have been working on minimizing the negative effects and train way less now and am stronger than ever.

I was wondering if you could elaborate on Lance Armstrongs training in the cold and your stance on carbs with respect to my training. I try to eat just as much as I need (before my nose and eyes get dry) and try to do 11-16 hour fasts when I get the chance.

@James Clarke Im going to explain this as best I can……Human evolution is faster than all other species because of Factor X……..this means that hominids epigenetics is super fast……if you fully understand my Holy Trinity well…..you will get that the optimal diet and environment is required for ultimate health. That is a ketogenic cold environment………if you are a modern day hominid you still have your old engine in your new Ferrari exterior. The car looks sweet but it does not run well when you put cheap gas in it while running it wide open……..this is what you are doing by cycling. You are asking your metabolism to run faster (modern life and food, stress) to live…….our cells and organs all are controlled by chemical clocks……..the faster you run the car the more you fast forward the clocks in every cell until you run out of back up parts (stem cells) or of time…….(death).

The more carbs you eat……the faster the clocks run. The more fats you use the slower the clocks run. Time is relative to mammalian biology 100% of the time. Healthy lifespan is when the clocks are not running fast or slow. Optimal health is when the clocks are reversed and you gain time back. Kinda like a do over. When you do endurance exercise and use carbs you are pouring gas on your burning house in an attempt to put it out…….when the wood is gone so is your house. (death)

Harsh?……..and why did I say it? Because when I am not hard on people like evolution makes it for life………..your brain falls into a rut of thinking…….it becomes a tyranny of impoverished thinking……..and those thoughts are the ones that subjugate your paleolithic genes that create the mismatch and make your clocks run faster
Which over time slowly cause mismatches in your biology and environment and lead to inflammation generation by cytokines which speed up your circadian and ultradian clocks………and ultimately shorten your telomeres……..first you get diseases of aging and then you get death………

Well, we are getting the glasses, each. The inflammation seems to be going. Does everyone need to put ice paks on the belly? I am curious about the thyroid. I know I need it. I'm understanding we need more than twelve hours a day of night plus blue blocker all the time, keeping the light below the half the day? I am getting brutally sensitive to lights and my kid has been. I'm thinking blacking out her room and the blue blocker light bulbs for the restroom and bedside. Non stop ac is doable. If we do a community chill, is the epsom salt ok in the water, just for economy? Or is the dip too long and deep? Also, regarding the inflammation, would it be disruptive to take alleve if you would normally? I hasn't been taken since New Years. It seems the cold alone should make anything go away, but we don't know if it should be avoided. Its not paleo, but…

I don't think it was Harsh at all. I all ready understand everything you said and it's something Im living with right now. I have been using candle light (im in university, cant avoid light fully) after sunset and only have cold showers. And as a kid i was outside in the snow almost everyday and have never had a problem with cold.

I fully get the holy trinity and will give up optimal health for my dream at this point in time. I was just wondering on specifics of lance's training cause I can't find anything about how he used cold online?

@James I know what the people who worked with him told me. They are the ones who handed me the book and papers. Freezers with Bikes and Vo2max monitors and REE, RER measurements after 24 months of adaptations. Fat adaptations for performance takes a while……and the reason is counter intuitive. We adapted away from the cold environment and most humans have not lived in this environment often……so it takes a chronic exposure to maximum burn to increase your performance. The reason you cant find the data in research is because all the athletes tested were not cold adapted prior to testing. The Russians have been killing us in the winter Olympics because of this for 100 years. I have gotten some of their data translated…….they have done some serious work over there on this. Also special forces has a cold protocol I have been trying to get for 6 years……..no go so far. Its obvious people know about it……but no one is talking.

I don't think it was Harsh at all. I all ready understand everything you said and it's something Im living with right now. I have been using candle light (im in university, cant avoid light fully) after sunset and only have cold showers. And as a kid i was outside in the snow almost everyday and have never had a problem with cold.

I fully get the holy trinity and will give up optimal health for my dream at this point in time. I was just wondering on specifics of lance's training cause I can't find anything about how he used cold online?

@James I know what the people who worked with him told me. They are the ones who handed me the book and papers. Freezers with Bikes and Vo2max monitors and REE, RER measurements after 24 months of adaptations. Fat adaptations for performance takes a while……and the reason is counter intuitive. We adapted away from the cold environment and most humans have not lived in this environment often……so it takes a chronic exposure to maximum burn to increase your performance. The reason you cant find the data in research is because all the athletes tested were not cold adapted prior to testing. The Russians have been killing us in the winter Olympics because of this for 100 years. I have gotten some of their data translated…….they have done some serious work over there on this. Also special forces has a cold protocol I have been trying to get for 6 years……..no go so far. Its obvious people know about it……but no one is talking.

Thanks Jack. And I can promise you once I reach my Goals I will follow this protocol 100 percent. You can ask anyone close to me and If I didn't need to be around electronics or get my engineering career Id have no problem packing up and moving with the monks if they let me.

Thanks Jack. And I can promise you once I reach my Goals I will follow this protocol 100 percent. You can ask anyone close to me and If I didn't need to be around electronics or get my engineering career Id have no problem packing up and moving with the monks if they let me.

Thank you Dr. K! I am confounded by my recent experience…. basically 2 failed rounds of HCG. I used the real stuff, not the homeopathic. I say "failed" b/c 1. I was HUNGRY during most of the 2 rounds and stuck it out b/c of stubbornness and wanting all the success others were having, 2. b/c most of the weight came back…. even with strict carb restriction.

Just wanted to comment on your post above. When you have hunger on hcg, that is a sign that either the hcg is not working for your OR MORE LIKELY the dose is wrong. it is NOT a once size fits all when it comes to dose. And when you have hunger, you are losing normal fat, not the abnormal fat you want to lose. When you press on without fixing this, that fat is easily regained. It sounds like that is what happened with you.

Doc, we just got to Kauai and the pool is kind of cold, about 65. Not as cold as I'd like but I'll be able to sit in it longer and see how far I can get my skin temp down. More eager than ever to work with this and see how my body composition can change.

Thank you Dr. K! I am confounded by my recent experience…. basically 2 failed rounds of HCG. I used the real stuff, not the homeopathic. I say "failed" b/c 1. I was HUNGRY during most of the 2 rounds and stuck it out b/c of stubbornness and wanting all the success others were having, 2. b/c most of the weight came back…. even with strict carb restriction.

Just wanted to comment on your post above. When you have hunger on hcg, that is a sign that either the hcg is not working for your OR MORE LIKELY the dose is wrong. it is NOT a once size fits all when it comes to dose. And when you have hunger, you are losing normal fat, not the abnormal fat you want to lose. When you press on without fixing this, that fat is easily regained. It sounds like that is what happened with you.

Doc, we just got to Kauai and the pool is kind of cold, about 65. Not as cold as I'd like but I'll be able to sit in it longer and see how far I can get my skin temp down. More eager than ever to work with this and see how my body composition can change.

Hey Gloria, I'm in Tucson and have the same questions. I have been doing the face-sink-dives and I'm going to use my slow to warm up pool as soon as I think I can take it. Remembering the shiver of getting out of the pool last summer in 90 plus heat, I think the low humidity can still deliver a "cooling" shock that will tide me over until next Fall's cold mornings. And I plan to use ice baths as needed. This is all so interesting and invigorating to say the least!

@Melinda I have access to a community pool in Phoenix area that is 68 degrees. This AM at 7 I dipped into the pool and then got out and walked around wet for about 7 min with the ambient temp around 43 degrees and then redipped and did the routine for 30 min. I can tell you cold thermogenesis really kicked in well. You can do the same with just a garden hose tomorrow morning. Tucson early morning temp will be around 37 degrees F.

Dr Kruse. What is the upper water temperature where this will still work? I'm assuming the colder the less time needed, but I'm wondering if a water temp of 65 or 70 would work if you increased the amount of time in the water.

Dr Kruse. What is the upper water temperature where this will still work? I'm assuming the colder the less time needed, but I'm wondering if a water temp of 65 or 70 would work if you increased the amount of time in the water.

DR. Kruse. I just took my temperature and I run just over 96 degrees (always have run a little low). The question I have is – I have been low-carb for three years and have been doing the reset, along with my husband, since February 1st. I have been doing the face plunge for at least a week and cool packs on my stomach in the evenings. I would like to progress to the tub, but I am unsure what degree to start the water at when my body temperature is already low. Advice?

DR. Kruse. I just took my temperature and I run just over 96 degrees (always have run a little low). The question I have is – I have been low-carb for three years and have been doing the reset, along with my husband, since February 1st. I have been doing the face plunge for at least a week and cool packs on my stomach in the evenings. I would like to progress to the tub, but I am unsure what degree to start the water at when my body temperature is already low. Advice?

James what sort of mountain biking? I do it in a way that's a completely different animal than road cycling. Perhaps you're talking about say competitive cross country mountain biking? My own go-to trails for mountain biking are short-ish, intermingling sections of intensive push with purely technical sections, sporadic, negotiating irregular terrains, not very chronic cardio if done this way. 100% fun, cortisol management from the epic scenery ventured. But I've never been the competitive type to enter races, etc. I've always done it for the time-economic access to lush enveloping worlds beyond my daily suburban edges.

James what sort of mountain biking? I do it in a way that's a completely different animal than road cycling. Perhaps you're talking about say competitive cross country mountain biking? My own go-to trails for mountain biking are short-ish, intermingling sections of intensive push with purely technical sections, sporadic, negotiating irregular terrains, not very chronic cardio if done this way. 100% fun, cortisol management from the epic scenery ventured. But I've never been the competitive type to enter races, etc. I've always done it for the time-economic access to lush enveloping worlds beyond my daily suburban edges.

Hi Dr Kruse. I've been compiling this list of questions for you over the past few weeks. Just some things I feel I need to get clear on. It's a long list, so I'll understand if I don't get the answers 🙂 Here goes:

3- What's the biological reason for the fat cells to commit suicide when they get cold?

4- I started CT by doing an ice bath straight away. I seem to tolerate it well enough, but worried I am jumping in too soon. Is it dangerous?

5- What's the best order of things: eat>exercise>ice bath?

6- What's the best time of day to take the ice bath?

7- I find my fingers a bit painful to move after an ice bath (and slow to move too). What's the reason? Is it a sign I have too much omega 6 for instance?

Diet questions:

1- With your suggested 40 grams of carbs (and then titrated up based on how close we are to goal/tolerance) what carbs do you suggest to be the best source?

2- When you're only a few kilos away from your goal (I'm around 8 kilos away, at the most), do you need to eat that big a meal for breakfast? I feel that now, I am much more sensitive to what my body needs, and can eat 2 meals a day without getting hungry. Should I just listen to my body and eat amounts it tells me are sufficient? Or should I aim for the big morning protein hit?

3- How important does it become after you become leptin sensitive to eat within 30 minutes of waking?

4- After you become leptin sensitive eating according to the Circadian rhythm, do you screw things up by having a dinner late once in a blue moon?

5- I still don't understand something. If the hypothalamus pathway isn't working, and we successfully change to depend on the Circadian rhythm for metabolism regulation without having to depend on leptin/hypothalamus, why does leptin even matter at all when we re-establish the circadian pathway? How is leptin being understood if not through the hypothalamus? Sorry if I'm using wrong terminology here (just paraphrasing according to my understanding)

6- What's your take on grass-fed/grain-fed meat when it comes to health?

7- I get dizzy when I stand up too quickly. I hear it's related to sodium intake. What's your take on that?

Other questions

1- I want to get some blood work done to determine how healthy I am. Do you have a list of things I should get tested for (apart from telomeres â˜º ) that I can take to my doctor? I am feeling generally very healthy now. I've come down from 122kg to 98kg (I'm 6'2") and feel great, with a bit of belly fat I want to get rid of. Only complaints is a bit of sinus allergy (better than before) and folliculitis/dry skin /eczema (much better than before).

Thanks so much for your help. Your leptin RX has pushed me down from a 3 month plateau on 103 kgs to 98 kilos in 8 weeks. I'm over the moon, not just with the weight loss, but the general feeling of wellness. Thank you once more and keep dropping those nuggets of wisdom and insight!

2- How often do you do it? This yr is different but normally 2-3 times a week

3- What's the biological reason for the fat cells to commit suicide when they get cold? That is coming. The short answer…leptin

4- I started CT by doing an ice bath straight away. I seem to tolerate it well enough, but worried I am jumping in too soon. Is it dangerous? nope

5- What's the best order of things: eat>exercise>ice bath? There is no best order. Cold is critical all the time.

6- What's the best time of day to take the ice bath? night time

7- I find my fingers a bit painful to move after an ice bath (and slow to move too). What's the reason? Is it a sign I have too much omega 6 for instance? maybe or you cold adapted to fast and have vasoconstriction

Diet questions:

1- With your suggested 40 grams of carbs (and then titrated up based on how close we are to goal/tolerance) what carbs do you suggest to be the best source? Veggies like Kale and Bok Choy

2- When you're only a few kilos away from your goal (I'm around 8 kilos away, at the most), do you need to eat that big a meal for breakfast? I feel that now, I am much more sensitive to what my body needs, and can eat 2 meals a day without getting hungry. Should I just listen to my body and eat amounts it tells me are sufficient? Or should I aim for the big morning protein hit? you can adapt it if your close. Cold works the best for the last twenty

3- How important does it become after you become leptin sensitive to eat within 30 minutes of waking? not important at all I covered this in how to eat post Leptin Rx blog.

4- After you become leptin sensitive eating according to the Circadian rhythm, do you screw things up by having a dinner late once in a blue moon? nope

5- I still don't understand something. If the hypothalamus pathway isn't working, and we successfully change to depend on the Circadian rhythm for metabolism regulation without having to depend on leptin/hypothalamus, why does leptin even matter at all when we re-establish the circadian pathway? How is leptin being understood if not through the hypothalamus? Sorry if I'm using wrong terminology here (just paraphrasing according to my understanding) Leptin controls the warm and cold adapted pathway and that control is found by the hormone response too foods.

6- What's your take on grass-fed/grain-fed meat when it comes to health? Grass fed 1000% of the time

7- I get dizzy when I stand up too quickly. I hear it's related to sodium intake. What's your take on that? could be…..testing would show it.

Labs: I have a blog for that too called the optimizing labs……take a look

Hi Dr Kruse. I've been compiling this list of questions for you over the past few weeks. Just some things I feel I need to get clear on. It's a long list, so I'll understand if I don't get the answers 🙂 Here goes:

3- What's the biological reason for the fat cells to commit suicide when they get cold?

4- I started CT by doing an ice bath straight away. I seem to tolerate it well enough, but worried I am jumping in too soon. Is it dangerous?

5- What's the best order of things: eat>exercise>ice bath?

6- What's the best time of day to take the ice bath?

7- I find my fingers a bit painful to move after an ice bath (and slow to move too). What's the reason? Is it a sign I have too much omega 6 for instance?

Diet questions:

1- With your suggested 40 grams of carbs (and then titrated up based on how close we are to goal/tolerance) what carbs do you suggest to be the best source?

2- When you're only a few kilos away from your goal (I'm around 8 kilos away, at the most), do you need to eat that big a meal for breakfast? I feel that now, I am much more sensitive to what my body needs, and can eat 2 meals a day without getting hungry. Should I just listen to my body and eat amounts it tells me are sufficient? Or should I aim for the big morning protein hit?

3- How important does it become after you become leptin sensitive to eat within 30 minutes of waking?

4- After you become leptin sensitive eating according to the Circadian rhythm, do you screw things up by having a dinner late once in a blue moon?

5- I still don't understand something. If the hypothalamus pathway isn't working, and we successfully change to depend on the Circadian rhythm for metabolism regulation without having to depend on leptin/hypothalamus, why does leptin even matter at all when we re-establish the circadian pathway? How is leptin being understood if not through the hypothalamus? Sorry if I'm using wrong terminology here (just paraphrasing according to my understanding)

6- What's your take on grass-fed/grain-fed meat when it comes to health?

7- I get dizzy when I stand up too quickly. I hear it's related to sodium intake. What's your take on that?

Other questions

1- I want to get some blood work done to determine how healthy I am. Do you have a list of things I should get tested for (apart from telomeres â˜º ) that I can take to my doctor? I am feeling generally very healthy now. I've come down from 122kg to 98kg (I'm 6'2") and feel great, with a bit of belly fat I want to get rid of. Only complaints is a bit of sinus allergy (better than before) and folliculitis/dry skin /eczema (much better than before).

Thanks so much for your help. Your leptin RX has pushed me down from a 3 month plateau on 103 kgs to 98 kilos in 8 weeks. I'm over the moon, not just with the weight loss, but the general feeling of wellness. Thank you once more and keep dropping those nuggets of wisdom and insight!

Apparently his article in milo on the topic suggested a similar practice to the russian systema martial art practice of dousing, haven't been able to find a free copy yet to verify but if anything dumping buckets of cold water over yourself multiple times a day in sub zero temps counts as cold training in my book….

Apparently his article in milo on the topic suggested a similar practice to the russian systema martial art practice of dousing, haven't been able to find a free copy yet to verify but if anything dumping buckets of cold water over yourself multiple times a day in sub zero temps counts as cold training in my book….

Doc.. What are your thoughts on HCG/dosage -normal vs. abnormal fat loss? I know the HCG diet 'works' but considering it was originated in the 1950's I would imagine a lot has changed since then? I mean look at you, you have morphed in seconds on one thought- while HCG mods & guru's consider ancient writings gospel still today.(HCG Protocol)

Isn't there room for evolution on this front, or should we just sit back and believe what some people were told over 50 years ago -when it clearly does not work without cold?

I left the HCG forums when people were persecuted for questioning everything.. It is funny, b/c now those same people who chastised anybody (who questioned you) are now complaining that you held out on them with the Holy Trinity- ruining their weigh loss goals..??

It is unfortunate that people hear only what they want to hear.. I guess that is where natural selection come in, eh?

I also have a hard time believing that we absorb calories/fat/weight gain through body lotion & oils on our skin.. If that were the case all massage therapists would be obese and all mechanics would be dead, since we all have HCG in us..?? No?

Doc.. What are your thoughts on HCG/dosage -normal vs. abnormal fat loss? I know the HCG diet 'works' but considering it was originated in the 1950's I would imagine a lot has changed since then? I mean look at you, you have morphed in seconds on one thought- while HCG mods & guru's consider ancient writings gospel still today.(HCG Protocol)

Isn't there room for evolution on this front, or should we just sit back and believe what some people were told over 50 years ago -when it clearly does not work without cold?

I left the HCG forums when people were persecuted for questioning everything.. It is funny, b/c now those same people who chastised anybody (who questioned you) are now complaining that you held out on them with the Holy Trinity- ruining their weigh loss goals..??

It is unfortunate that people hear only what they want to hear.. I guess that is where natural selection come in, eh?

I also have a hard time believing that we absorb calories/fat/weight gain through body lotion & oils on our skin.. If that were the case all massage therapists would be obese and all mechanics would be dead, since we all have HCG in us..?? No?

The Paleo Rag | Whatâ€™s With The Antagonism About Low-Carb From The Paleo Community Lately?
February 28, 2012 at 5:14 pm - Reply

[…] Roddy,Â Dr. Garrett Smith,Matt Stone, and I’m sure many others. In fact, just this week evenÂ Dr. Jack KruseÂ has seemed to jump on the bandwagon against low-carb diets with his current line of thinking. […]

The Paleo Rag | Whatâ€™s With The Antagonism About Low-Carb From The Paleo Community Lately?
February 28, 2012 at 5:14 pm - Reply

[…] Roddy,Â Dr. Garrett Smith,Matt Stone, and I’m sure many others. In fact, just this week evenÂ Dr. Jack KruseÂ has seemed to jump on the bandwagon against low-carb diets with his current line of thinking. […]

In your first CT post you talk about only doing the CT after eating protein with MTC or some saturated fats. Somewhere in the comments either in this blog or the earlier one someone asked when to get started with CT while on HCG. You said to start as soon as possible. My question is that while on HCG weight loss protocol fat intake is basically ZERO and protein is also very low. Should we wait until done with the weight loss and starting the maintenance to begin the CT?

HCG and coconut oil don't mix well for the majority of people with a broken metabolism. the relatively young and healthy ones do okay but the ones for whom the protocol was made–those of us with broken metabolisms, we gain. I've seen it time and time again on the big forum over the past 3 years. I even tried it myself after 4 rounds of following the protocol strictly and I stalled out and gained a bit so I quit it.

I don't know if adding the cold would change that but I do know for a fact that it doesn't work well for most. Many hcg doctors believe the fat derails the pathway to the hypothalamus so it doesn't rest properly. I don't know the reason for the problem with oils but it's a real problem. 🙁

HCG and coconut oil don't mix well for the majority of people with a broken metabolism. the relatively young and healthy ones do okay but the ones for whom the protocol was made–those of us with broken metabolisms, we gain. I've seen it time and time again on the big forum over the past 3 years. I even tried it myself after 4 rounds of following the protocol strictly and I stalled out and gained a bit so I quit it.

I don't know if adding the cold would change that but I do know for a fact that it doesn't work well for most. Many hcg doctors believe the fat derails the pathway to the hypothalamus so it doesn't rest properly. I don't know the reason for the problem with oils but it's a real problem. 🙁

The missing link… fantastic.. one of our Russian colleagues uses cold baths and buckets of ice cold water poured over himself first thing in the morning..

We have used paleo,primal,hcg,CCD, with ourselves and our patients all have worked to a point but often severe chronic illness still remain… yes they are in better health than before but there are still those that look good on the outside and shocking on the inside. We live in a very hot humid climate in Australia for most of the year… this all makes sense and a bit of humble pie was eaten this morning with our Russian Doctor..

Many thanks and gratitude for standing up and practising the way you believe.. not always that easy in our establishment..

@Dr. M&M we must stand up for what is right no matter how many arrows we take or what happens. In the end whether they believe it or not the science is still the truth. People can test my theory themselves………instead of talking nonsense go get your telomeres tested get your full hormone panels done and then sit down and think about why they are not spot on…….then re read what I wrote. I am all ears for the dissenters. That is how science works. Those with the biggest mouths contribute little………people who think and think depply are the ones who usually survive.

Hey Doc — thanks from my heart for your work in the world. Question – in the paragraph that starts "The other oddity …" your wrote "This implied that cold raises DHEA to improves the process of autophagy." Did you mean to say, "This implied that HCG raises DHEA to improves the process of autophagy."?

Hey Doc — thanks from my heart for your work in the world. Question – in the paragraph that starts "The other oddity …" your wrote "This implied that cold raises DHEA to improves the process of autophagy." Did you mean to say, "This implied that HCG raises DHEA to improves the process of autophagy."?

Dr. K – I had an odd experience last night I'd like your take on. I took my cold bath – I do them every other day and this was my 13th. This time I shivered nearly the entire time I was in the water. I kept my toes out and covered them with socks because they usually go numb and I was trying to avoid that.

Water temp was 55 degrees straight out of the tap. The shivering continued when I got out and my body temp dropped lower than I've ever seen it – 95.2! Is this ok? Should I do something different? I only stayed in 25 minutes. I felt weak, clumsy, nauseous and a bit dizzy for a while after getting out. My skin stayed pink the entire time.

Dr. K – I had an odd experience last night I'd like your take on. I took my cold bath – I do them every other day and this was my 13th. This time I shivered nearly the entire time I was in the water. I kept my toes out and covered them with socks because they usually go numb and I was trying to avoid that.

Water temp was 55 degrees straight out of the tap. The shivering continued when I got out and my body temp dropped lower than I've ever seen it – 95.2! Is this ok? Should I do something different? I only stayed in 25 minutes. I felt weak, clumsy, nauseous and a bit dizzy for a while after getting out. My skin stayed pink the entire time.

Hey me again, I reread the article and am a little confused now. You seem to contradict yourself. I understand endurance stuff is bad but I know Lance rode endless hours on his bike and at pasta and carbs. Same with Phelps, he did not calorie restrict and did endless hours in the pool. Neither had a ketogenic diet. You said force feeding in cold gives these incredible abilities.

So I guess what im asking is, if are you saying that Lance and Phelps were optimal? Because they were already fat adapted and therefore could train a ton without hurting themselves and get incredible capabilities. What do you meen by if they force fed themselves, because in the rest of your holy trinity you say calorie restriction is the way to go. Could you please calrify the Quantum Biology Too Doc section.

@James no problem. Read my answers to Armi below. He is asking the same things. No I do not believe that Lance or Phelps reach human potential because their diet was not tight enough. Moroeover eating mor edoes not help perofrmance after a while it actually slows it. It was better than most of their competitors but not good enough. Modern Paleo is also not good enough because the diet is better than most but it is not done in cold adapted paleo's (im going to change that) and their uses of carbs out of season with technology after sunset also derails them. The measure of my ideas is found in their labs which amny of them refuse to draw…….because they are blinded by modern paleo dogma that persists in the blogosphere and promulgated by many who have not looked in to the circadian biology links I have given closely enough. I dont expect any of them to buy it……..but when they test themselves and see the numbers it will confuse them because they believe that they are living optimally now. Their numbers will show them they are SUB optimal. When they are ready, I will tell them again how to fix it. They first have to realize it before they can see the realities I am giving you all here in this blog. See this is what people are not conceptualizing yet. Optimal = cold +ketogenic paleo diet + uses leptin melanocortical pathway most of the time = ultimate longevity (or performance) and lifespan in humans.

Hey me again, I reread the article and am a little confused now. You seem to contradict yourself. I understand endurance stuff is bad but I know Lance rode endless hours on his bike and at pasta and carbs. Same with Phelps, he did not calorie restrict and did endless hours in the pool. Neither had a ketogenic diet. You said force feeding in cold gives these incredible abilities.

So I guess what im asking is, if are you saying that Lance and Phelps were optimal? Because they were already fat adapted and therefore could train a ton without hurting themselves and get incredible capabilities. What do you meen by if they force fed themselves, because in the rest of your holy trinity you say calorie restriction is the way to go. Could you please calrify the Quantum Biology Too Doc section.

@James no problem. Read my answers to Armi below. He is asking the same things. No I do not believe that Lance or Phelps reach human potential because their diet was not tight enough. Moroeover eating mor edoes not help perofrmance after a while it actually slows it. It was better than most of their competitors but not good enough. Modern Paleo is also not good enough because the diet is better than most but it is not done in cold adapted paleo's (im going to change that) and their uses of carbs out of season with technology after sunset also derails them. The measure of my ideas is found in their labs which amny of them refuse to draw…….because they are blinded by modern paleo dogma that persists in the blogosphere and promulgated by many who have not looked in to the circadian biology links I have given closely enough. I dont expect any of them to buy it……..but when they test themselves and see the numbers it will confuse them because they believe that they are living optimally now. Their numbers will show them they are SUB optimal. When they are ready, I will tell them again how to fix it. They first have to realize it before they can see the realities I am giving you all here in this blog. See this is what people are not conceptualizing yet. Optimal = cold +ketogenic paleo diet + uses leptin melanocortical pathway most of the time = ultimate longevity (or performance) and lifespan in humans.

@Dr. Kruse – Great post. After reading it yesterday, I fit in a cold tub last night before bed. It wasn't long (10 minute tub and 3 minute shower), but at least it's a start. My tap puts out water between 48 and 50 degrees, so I'm just going to stick with this for awhile and wait to add the ice until I can do this easily with no shivering. Given that I'm not in there for that long, it will probably take longer, but hopefully I'll still get there and see the benefits eventually. Thanks Dr. Kruse, I'm excited to read the upcoming underlying science posts.

@Mark That is why I do it. For too long we have not been able ot explain why our species gets neolithic diseases and how we can best treat them. Now I think I know. And I am going to teach the masses how to do it. Its not that hard.

@Jack Not sure if this has been asked before. In order for Cold Therapy (CT) to work, do we need to experience that initial shock of hitting ultra-cold water? Or is it OK to jump into a lukewarm tub and then slowly add ice to it and gradually lower the temperature?

@TheKid you can slowly adapt. Generally when someone gets their telomere test done and they are facing a biologic reality……..it makes yoru thoughts clear what you must do. I would tell you after reading this you should go back and rewatch the video in the blog. LOOK at that doctors face when she got the result live on TV. She used the words " the implications are sobering"…….WHY? she knows precisely what it means……….and she thought she was fit and doing lots of things right……..but she was 12 yrs older than she thought. That leaves you with only one reality………you know what you were doing was wrong and you must go back and question everything……….and adapt. That is what evolutionary medicine has taught me……..its how I think now and its how I practice now. It scares the hell out of modern humans because it means your reality of today is over if you want to avoid what modern man faces. This is why cancer is rising……T2D is oof the charts and Alzheimers is growing exponentially………People say its crazy…….well this theory explains all those seeming paradoxes………Moroever, the person who originated the theory is telling you not to BELIEVE HIM. He is telling you to test it for yourself. PROVE him wrong. WHY?

@Jack Not sure if this has been asked before. In order for Cold Therapy (CT) to work, do we need to experience that initial shock of hitting ultra-cold water? Or is it OK to jump into a lukewarm tub and then slowly add ice to it and gradually lower the temperature?

@TheKid you can slowly adapt. Generally when someone gets their telomere test done and they are facing a biologic reality……..it makes yoru thoughts clear what you must do. I would tell you after reading this you should go back and rewatch the video in the blog. LOOK at that doctors face when she got the result live on TV. She used the words " the implications are sobering"…….WHY? she knows precisely what it means……….and she thought she was fit and doing lots of things right……..but she was 12 yrs older than she thought. That leaves you with only one reality………you know what you were doing was wrong and you must go back and question everything……….and adapt. That is what evolutionary medicine has taught me……..its how I think now and its how I practice now. It scares the hell out of modern humans because it means your reality of today is over if you want to avoid what modern man faces. This is why cancer is rising……T2D is oof the charts and Alzheimers is growing exponentially………People say its crazy…….well this theory explains all those seeming paradoxes………Moroever, the person who originated the theory is telling you not to BELIEVE HIM. He is telling you to test it for yourself. PROVE him wrong. WHY?

It sounds like the holy trinity truly can heal all. I just met w/ my chiro/dentist who tell me I have developed a problem with my bite after years of having perfect teeth. Makes sense now why I wake with swollen cheeks, sire neck/upper back and have recently noticed I favor one sode when biting.

Will CT help put things "back in place" or do I need to consider some type of treatment? The suggestion as of now is braces.

@marisa It depends on how out of line your mismatches are. When I bio hack people I use hormone panels to be my North Star…….but the real test is the telomere lengths. That tells me just how fars mismatched they are. The hormones are the fine tuning knobs………so if you had labs we would know.

It sounds like the holy trinity truly can heal all. I just met w/ my chiro/dentist who tell me I have developed a problem with my bite after years of having perfect teeth. Makes sense now why I wake with swollen cheeks, sire neck/upper back and have recently noticed I favor one sode when biting.

Will CT help put things "back in place" or do I need to consider some type of treatment? The suggestion as of now is braces.

@marisa It depends on how out of line your mismatches are. When I bio hack people I use hormone panels to be my North Star…….but the real test is the telomere lengths. That tells me just how fars mismatched they are. The hormones are the fine tuning knobs………so if you had labs we would know.

I think he said that because cold reduces your appetite quite considerably. If you search the comments of this thread you'll also see that Dr. Kruse believes Phelps and Lances telomeres are SHORTER than a person their age because of sub optimal diets…

Maybe I'm wrong, just thinking out loud. Lets see what Dr. Kruse has to say. 😛

I think he said that because cold reduces your appetite quite considerably. If you search the comments of this thread you'll also see that Dr. Kruse believes Phelps and Lances telomeres are SHORTER than a person their age because of sub optimal diets…

Maybe I'm wrong, just thinking out loud. Lets see what Dr. Kruse has to say. 😛

Ok, we'll have to see what happens…I notice my excess fat that I do have feels like it's becoming detached from the bone? It feels 'softer' and I liken it to when you slow cook some kind of prime rib—'falls off the bone'. I will continue doing CT and keto/paleo. Hope this means it's getting ready to 'melt'. (Plus I have started swimming [sprints]. I need movement.)

We'll see what happens. Anyone else experience this? Remember I'm not 'overweight', just extra padding from the last 6 months.

Ok, we'll have to see what happens…I notice my excess fat that I do have feels like it's becoming detached from the bone? It feels 'softer' and I liken it to when you slow cook some kind of prime rib—'falls off the bone'. I will continue doing CT and keto/paleo. Hope this means it's getting ready to 'melt'. (Plus I have started swimming [sprints]. I need movement.)

We'll see what happens. Anyone else experience this? Remember I'm not 'overweight', just extra padding from the last 6 months.

O, I also find that I can use face dunk in ice water for two OPPOSITE purposes. If I'm excessively hot, it helps cool me off. I also use it to 'warm up' in the morning or if I feel too cold. Interesting how that works.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but is CT compatible with using saunas (for detoxification), or with your discoveries about the cold do you now feel that saunas are bad news? I know that they traditionally have been used together, but I would love to know what you have found to be true.

If ice baths and saunas ARE compatible, is it important to order/time them in a particular way relative to each other?

@MM no question is stupid if it leads to a new clarity. I think you can use them once you fox your mismatches. When your telomere lengths equal or are below your real age I think they are great source or enjoyment.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but is CT compatible with using saunas (for detoxification), or with your discoveries about the cold do you now feel that saunas are bad news? I know that they traditionally have been used together, but I would love to know what you have found to be true.

If ice baths and saunas ARE compatible, is it important to order/time them in a particular way relative to each other?

@MM no question is stupid if it leads to a new clarity. I think you can use them once you fox your mismatches. When your telomere lengths equal or are below your real age I think they are great source or enjoyment.

Thanks for sharing this with all of us! I first learned of Ishnaan Therapy (Cold Showers) during yoga teacher training a few years ago. We were taught that it was important to wear long shorts or something covering the thighs to avoid causing an undesirable change in calcium balance (due to the effect on the femurs)… do you have any thoughts on this?

Thanks for sharing this with all of us! I first learned of Ishnaan Therapy (Cold Showers) during yoga teacher training a few years ago. We were taught that it was important to wear long shorts or something covering the thighs to avoid causing an undesirable change in calcium balance (due to the effect on the femurs)… do you have any thoughts on this?

@Jack. Thanks for the words of encouragement. Question: I live overseas in a region where telomere testing is likely limited, if it exists at all. Is there alternative testing that might be more common? I will be back in the states in early summer, but I wonder if I should wait that long to assess where I'm at. Thanks.

Thanks thanks, What strikes me as profound is the impact we can have on our children. Mine is 5, and I see such limitless potential. It's so very exciting. Every day after school we have a debriefing on the taught CW vs what "we know that they don't because we are fortunate to be such a curious family."

I can't wait till he drops the bomb in class one day about all the coconut milk and mommy says I don't really need a coat to play in the snow.

Or something equally damning like that. . .

I'm ready to move to the cold baths. Is the goal a water temp of 50ish? So if it comes out colder, I warm it up and the point of the ice is to cool it down? Or does the ice pack have some OTHER function as well?

Is it a scale, like the colder I can go the faster I will adapt and start to burn?

I'm 10 yrs past gastric bypass w/ severed vagus nerve and my goal (in addition to feeling good enough to run around with the grandkids one day) is weight loss.

Thanks thanks, What strikes me as profound is the impact we can have on our children. Mine is 5, and I see such limitless potential. It's so very exciting. Every day after school we have a debriefing on the taught CW vs what "we know that they don't because we are fortunate to be such a curious family."

I can't wait till he drops the bomb in class one day about all the coconut milk and mommy says I don't really need a coat to play in the snow.

Or something equally damning like that. . .

I'm ready to move to the cold baths. Is the goal a water temp of 50ish? So if it comes out colder, I warm it up and the point of the ice is to cool it down? Or does the ice pack have some OTHER function as well?

Is it a scale, like the colder I can go the faster I will adapt and start to burn?

I'm 10 yrs past gastric bypass w/ severed vagus nerve and my goal (in addition to feeling good enough to run around with the grandkids one day) is weight loss.

For someone who is cold adapted, leptin sensitive, and wants to maximize performance, do you believe the following be true:

1. Overfeeding on calories is not going to make you fat because of thermogenesis.

2. Following a ketogenic paleo diet will maximize/improve performance.

3. For someone living above the equator, say your hometown of Nashville, carbs should be consumed when they would be seasonally available for our ancestors, like the summertime. If so, does this principle of seasonality apply to other regions?

@Armi
1. We do not know……must be tested but my guess is there is a plateau which they might matter. But I am not sure you could eat if your hunger is gone.
2. Yes if your longterm adapted. Without question. This makes Dave superman.
3. Yes……but that does not mean optimal. It means we can live well. I think optimal is an all or none scenario…….and I will tell you why biology did that later this year.

For someone who is cold adapted, leptin sensitive, and wants to maximize performance, do you believe the following be true:

1. Overfeeding on calories is not going to make you fat because of thermogenesis.

2. Following a ketogenic paleo diet will maximize/improve performance.

3. For someone living above the equator, say your hometown of Nashville, carbs should be consumed when they would be seasonally available for our ancestors, like the summertime. If so, does this principle of seasonality apply to other regions?

Re: Comment 287 – Yes, I know you do and I hope you realize we all appreciate it more than we could ever say! I am inspired by your dedication and generosity and am determined to follow in your footsteps and help others as soon as I am well enough to think straight again.

Re: Comment 287 – Yes, I know you do and I hope you realize we all appreciate it more than we could ever say! I am inspired by your dedication and generosity and am determined to follow in your footsteps and help others as soon as I am well enough to think straight again.

Ok, when you mentioned Neanderthals went extinct, I started checking out Neanderthals. We are the pigeons for the hole on my husband's side. My son has macrocephaly, 98 percentile head when born, no aspbergers or autism… the teachers always thought he was "different". He maxed the first part of his CPA, I guess he is different. My husband can't buy a hat to fit him. He never stops and he's skinny, but he out muscles everyone. My boy is smaller, 5'9" but anything that requires speed and strategy, he never loses. He got a chess book for Christmas one year read it and then went to the library and survived 16 moves with a world chess master. Everyone else was surviving 5 or less. My husband's mother was an obnoxious tannorexic. Lots of cancers. She didn't care, she needed to tan. My husband had basal cell, my daughter had black moles removed, my son had a haloing mole removed after his first burn. We are working hard on all of these things. Cold adaptation is the only thing left and lots of meat and seafood. I am waiting to see what comes down the pike for me. I know my native american ancestry comes from a chief lending his wife to a Spanish ship captain, the land of the Neanderthals. My daughter had a couple of Mongol marks on her when she was born. That's also where the inbreeding happened. I know she and I both have been approached several times by older Asians as breeding stock for their sons. Something about our nose making us smart. The older middle easterners also want us for our nose because it makes us honest "looking" (does that imply a self admitted dishonest genetic tendency?) and trustworthy in business. The usda is evil. That food has been killing us. I hope we only have to do one year long winter. When is your book coming out? Genes matter.

Ok, when you mentioned Neanderthals went extinct, I started checking out Neanderthals. We are the pigeons for the hole on my husband's side. My son has macrocephaly, 98 percentile head when born, no aspbergers or autism… the teachers always thought he was "different". He maxed the first part of his CPA, I guess he is different. My husband can't buy a hat to fit him. He never stops and he's skinny, but he out muscles everyone. My boy is smaller, 5'9" but anything that requires speed and strategy, he never loses. He got a chess book for Christmas one year read it and then went to the library and survived 16 moves with a world chess master. Everyone else was surviving 5 or less. My husband's mother was an obnoxious tannorexic. Lots of cancers. She didn't care, she needed to tan. My husband had basal cell, my daughter had black moles removed, my son had a haloing mole removed after his first burn. We are working hard on all of these things. Cold adaptation is the only thing left and lots of meat and seafood. I am waiting to see what comes down the pike for me. I know my native american ancestry comes from a chief lending his wife to a Spanish ship captain, the land of the Neanderthals. My daughter had a couple of Mongol marks on her when she was born. That's also where the inbreeding happened. I know she and I both have been approached several times by older Asians as breeding stock for their sons. Something about our nose making us smart. The older middle easterners also want us for our nose because it makes us honest "looking" (does that imply a self admitted dishonest genetic tendency?) and trustworthy in business. The usda is evil. That food has been killing us. I hope we only have to do one year long winter. When is your book coming out? Genes matter.

Practical statement/question: There are infrared thermometers that measure surface temp. Would this work for both skin and water temp? I have a nice cooking focused one – but I wonder if it would work for CT. Masses?

Practical statement/question: There are infrared thermometers that measure surface temp. Would this work for both skin and water temp? I have a nice cooking focused one – but I wonder if it would work for CT. Masses?

OK so i finally actually finished reading this rather than skimming it. Why dont you just come out and say it. You cant eat starches at all. if you are using CT the body prefers FFA for fuel and if you are Warm Adapted the starches gum up the works.

@Jon We can…….in season. Were you live is how starches become tolerable……they are a tradeoff food……a neolithic comfort food if you like……..but there is a large caveat. To make starches safe you have to add other things to your diet. Things that partially activate the ancient pathway. If you look at Jean Calment's life, she did a lot wrong but she also ate 2 pounds of dark chocolate a week for 122 years. There is a reason the Kitavins tolerate starches…….they eat others things that activate the pathway too……fish and coconuts. See what your failing to see is that the ketogenic paleo diet has the same effect as turmeric, resveratrol, metformin, cold, HCG, CRON………but they all are optimally operational when its cold……not warm.

OK so i finally actually finished reading this rather than skimming it. Why dont you just come out and say it. You cant eat starches at all. if you are using CT the body prefers FFA for fuel and if you are Warm Adapted the starches gum up the works.

@Jon We can…….in season. Were you live is how starches become tolerable……they are a tradeoff food……a neolithic comfort food if you like……..but there is a large caveat. To make starches safe you have to add other things to your diet. Things that partially activate the ancient pathway. If you look at Jean Calment's life, she did a lot wrong but she also ate 2 pounds of dark chocolate a week for 122 years. There is a reason the Kitavins tolerate starches…….they eat others things that activate the pathway too……fish and coconuts. See what your failing to see is that the ketogenic paleo diet has the same effect as turmeric, resveratrol, metformin, cold, HCG, CRON………but they all are optimally operational when its cold……not warm.

@James yes……but you better follow your VO2max and REE, RER serially like I do. The trend is your friend and tells you how you're doing. 2. I think that is a question that no one knows yet because the real regimens these elite guys are using is very secret. I think there are some custom adaptations that need to be made for the sport.

@James yes……but you better follow your VO2max and REE, RER serially like I do. The trend is your friend and tells you how you're doing. 2. I think that is a question that no one knows yet because the real regimens these elite guys are using is very secret. I think there are some custom adaptations that need to be made for the sport.

Doc, this is a little off topic of CT, but now that spring is approaching in Texas we get a lot of it, can you recommend a sun block that is non-toxic and non-inflammatory or perhaps such a thing doesn't exist.

Doc, this is a little off topic of CT, but now that spring is approaching in Texas we get a lot of it, can you recommend a sun block that is non-toxic and non-inflammatory or perhaps such a thing doesn't exist.

Switched from skipping breakfast(16/8 lean gains protocol) to having a BAB a few months back (following your reset protocol). Have noticed great gains and improved health.

My plan's been to slowly wean myself off thyroid medication (hashimoto's), since I've been taking it since 2002 (unithroid mostly until a year ago; now unithroid + cytomel).

I recently added CT to my routine, and I think this could be the trick to kicking the synthetic hormone habit completely. What do you recommend for adjusting my medication dose, testing, etc.?

I've been slowly reducing it — monitoring how I respond each time (coming down from a high of 225 mcgs unithroid/20 mcgs cytomel [divided] to 125 mcgs unithroid/7.5 mcgs cytomel [divided] now).

Should I just go cold turkey and see how I respond or keep slowly lowering until it's about to nothing? I should also mention that I'm on LDN, which has helped with the lowering of dose and improved symptoms. Thanks.

Switched from skipping breakfast(16/8 lean gains protocol) to having a BAB a few months back (following your reset protocol). Have noticed great gains and improved health.

My plan's been to slowly wean myself off thyroid medication (hashimoto's), since I've been taking it since 2002 (unithroid mostly until a year ago; now unithroid + cytomel).

I recently added CT to my routine, and I think this could be the trick to kicking the synthetic hormone habit completely. What do you recommend for adjusting my medication dose, testing, etc.?

I've been slowly reducing it — monitoring how I respond each time (coming down from a high of 225 mcgs unithroid/20 mcgs cytomel [divided] to 125 mcgs unithroid/7.5 mcgs cytomel [divided] now).

Should I just go cold turkey and see how I respond or keep slowly lowering until it's about to nothing? I should also mention that I'm on LDN, which has helped with the lowering of dose and improved symptoms. Thanks.

Wikipaedia: Metformin (BP, pronounced /mÉ›tËˆfÉ”rmÉ¨n/, met-FAWR-min; originally sold as Glucophage) is an oral antidiabetic drug in the biguanide class. It is the first-line drug of choice for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, in particular, in overweight and obese people and those with normal kidney function.[1][2][3] Its use in gestational diabetes has been limited by safety concerns. It is also used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, and has been investigated for other diseases where insulin resistance may be an important factor. Metformin works by suppressing glucose production by the liver.

Dr K, The key for me is the mention of the drug metformin-suppressing glucose production in the liver given routinely to diabetics. Our wonderful medical profession puts pre and type II diabetics on metformin when they just as easily could put people on a ketogenic diet plus turmeric, resveratrol, CT, Cron or even HCG to cure the patient of inadequate production of insulin by the pancreas. How many diseases of civilization are spawned by not eating a keto diet? But if we put the world on a keto diet and cold thermogenesis, we could eliminate a good portion all the sickness in the world and would relegate the medical community to fixing broken bones and the like. They would not like that!

The path to optimal is to be cold adapted (follow the protocol you laid out on Feb-11), eat a ketogenic paleolithic diet (year round, unless you do not expose yourself to artificial light/technology after sunset and even then its probably questionable as to whether or not one should include them), and exercise in a smart way (lift heavy weights slowly in the afternoon, ideally in the cold).

1) Now I just need to clear up the 'leptin melanocortical pathway' part. Is this simply the 'metabolic trap door' that is accessed once one is cold adapted?

2) On a separate note, since I don't have a skin thermometer, is shivering a good barometer for adaption? For example, today I shiver while sitting in 50 degree water, but hopefully I won't in a couple of weeks and then at that point I can start with the 20 lbs of ice on my torso?

3) In regards to being cold adapted, you define this as being able to sit in a cold tub (guessing just cold tap water) with ice covering your body for 45 minutes (I'd guess that it'd take 40-50 pounds to cover ones torso and upper legs). Once one accomplishes this, what is required to keep this level of adaptation? In the post you say that you can keep doing this 2-5 times a week, depending on your goals, but is that a 45 minute soak with the ice or will a more moderate exposure do, like your lake swims for 10-20 minutes at 50 degrees, to maintain a cold adapted state?

4) Lastly, I think I have an idea of the test that you ran on yourself in early January, the one that will be revealed in your book. In one of his videos, Wim Hof is able to repress the effects of toxins that are introduced by IV. I'm guessing that you did something along these lines, except that you are going to outline how your body did it. Definitely looking forward to that.

By the way, I know I'm getting ahead of myself on question 3, but it's fun to theorize.

The path to optimal is to be cold adapted (follow the protocol you laid out on Feb-11), eat a ketogenic paleolithic diet (year round, unless you do not expose yourself to artificial light/technology after sunset and even then its probably questionable as to whether or not one should include them), and exercise in a smart way (lift heavy weights slowly in the afternoon, ideally in the cold).

1) Now I just need to clear up the 'leptin melanocortical pathway' part. Is this simply the 'metabolic trap door' that is accessed once one is cold adapted?

2) On a separate note, since I don't have a skin thermometer, is shivering a good barometer for adaption? For example, today I shiver while sitting in 50 degree water, but hopefully I won't in a couple of weeks and then at that point I can start with the 20 lbs of ice on my torso?

3) In regards to being cold adapted, you define this as being able to sit in a cold tub (guessing just cold tap water) with ice covering your body for 45 minutes (I'd guess that it'd take 40-50 pounds to cover ones torso and upper legs). Once one accomplishes this, what is required to keep this level of adaptation? In the post you say that you can keep doing this 2-5 times a week, depending on your goals, but is that a 45 minute soak with the ice or will a more moderate exposure do, like your lake swims for 10-20 minutes at 50 degrees, to maintain a cold adapted state?

4) Lastly, I think I have an idea of the test that you ran on yourself in early January, the one that will be revealed in your book. In one of his videos, Wim Hof is able to repress the effects of toxins that are introduced by IV. I'm guessing that you did something along these lines, except that you are going to outline how your body did it. Definitely looking forward to that.

By the way, I know I'm getting ahead of myself on question 3, but it's fun to theorize.

Shilohman, I've lived in Texas all my life. I used to get a slight sunburn after only 1 hour exposure. Now that I eat saturated animal fats, and possibly also because I take krill oil, I no longer get sunburns. I might be in the sun so long that it starts getting painful, so I'll go inside, or under a tree, but I don't burn anymore.

I didn't use suntan lotion at all last year, though I was outside a lot. It's just another health benefit I've seen in the Paleo diet. One of many.

@CW Walking around in cold ambient temperature when wet engenders the wonderful cooling effect of evaporation on the skin. When I compare my feeling cold in the ambient temperature as when I compare to my feeling of cold in 50 degree F sitzbath water, they are very comparable. At 30 min I start to tremble a little and I begin to realize I am starting to get to the point my mind says no more. But I realize that if I plant in my mind as I begin to sit down, that I am going to do 40 min…then I can do 40 min. And my plan is to increase my bathtub CT by one minute a night and I will see if I can eventually get to 3 hours with no drop in my core temperature. Of course, I have a wife to monitor my progress. I do not want to become Otzi

@Dexter, do you plan on adding ice once you get to a certain time frame or just extending the duration like you mention? I'm guessing that adaption can come from duration and/or intensity (cold tub + ice on the skin)? Also, how do you feel after your 40 min soaks? Cold/shaking/great? Thanks, having a community of people doing this at the same time really helps.

Sitting in a bath of 65F tap water this morning was very shocking! Eventually I stopped gasping, though. Four minutes was enough. Face down in icewater is easier! I remember now you told us to take it slowly, Dr. K. 🙂

Sitting in a bath of 65F tap water this morning was very shocking! Eventually I stopped gasping, though. Four minutes was enough. Face down in icewater is easier! I remember now you told us to take it slowly, Dr. K. 🙂

@CW At first I was trembling so much at the 20 min mark that I could not read a book…and that book was the "Monk" book The book was moving around too much. And that was just straight tap water. I have subsequently added gallon ice bags to my torso directly on my skin…held in place by a T-shirt with a stretch ACE bandage tied around the tail of the T-shirt to hold the ice bags.

It has become a mind over cold thing for me. Once I begin I do not quit til I achieve my goal.

Post soak, I towel off but once the evaporation stops, I am just fine…a little cold but PJs on and hit the bed cold…it only takes me 15 min to fall asleep.

I do not recommend CT anytime but before bedtime as it makes me really sleepy. Others posting at MDA CT in the AM and seem not to manifest the sleepiness.

One thing I am struggling with is my muscles seems to contract somewhat harshly in response to the cold…so much so that it feels I have done a massively strenuous workout.

But that reaction seems not to carry forward to soreness…meaning the contraction is not causing micro tearing of the fibers of the muscles. It seems limited to large ligaments holding bones in place.

Remember one of the signs of being Leptin Sensitive is post workout soreness is almost non existant.

Decide while standing in a bathtub of non heated water that you will do the CT and then just sit down. You will quickly realize that once in, you do not even realize it is cold. It is cold initially to your brain, but just accept it as natural. Your neolithic thoughts about CT will limit your progress…your genes will never limit your progress.

@CW At first I was trembling so much at the 20 min mark that I could not read a book…and that book was the "Monk" book The book was moving around too much. And that was just straight tap water. I have subsequently added gallon ice bags to my torso directly on my skin…held in place by a T-shirt with a stretch ACE bandage tied around the tail of the T-shirt to hold the ice bags.

It has become a mind over cold thing for me. Once I begin I do not quit til I achieve my goal.

Post soak, I towel off but once the evaporation stops, I am just fine…a little cold but PJs on and hit the bed cold…it only takes me 15 min to fall asleep.

I do not recommend CT anytime but before bedtime as it makes me really sleepy. Others posting at MDA CT in the AM and seem not to manifest the sleepiness.

One thing I am struggling with is my muscles seems to contract somewhat harshly in response to the cold…so much so that it feels I have done a massively strenuous workout.

But that reaction seems not to carry forward to soreness…meaning the contraction is not causing micro tearing of the fibers of the muscles. It seems limited to large ligaments holding bones in place.

Remember one of the signs of being Leptin Sensitive is post workout soreness is almost non existant.

Decide while standing in a bathtub of non heated water that you will do the CT and then just sit down. You will quickly realize that once in, you do not even realize it is cold. It is cold initially to your brain, but just accept it as natural. Your neolithic thoughts about CT will limit your progress…your genes will never limit your progress.

@Jack. What potential does this have for someone suffering from major schizophrenia? My brother has gone through a range of medications with not one benefit. It gets worse by the month. From your comment above, he was in a car accident and sure he suffered brain damage from it, but the docs want nothing to do with it and refuse to check this out.

Trying to get him to follow something will be a problem ('demons' as he calls it). Strange thing is that he refuses to eat (i can get him to maybe eat something at dinner), except for chocolate/sweets before he sleeps. And he used to take cold showers and baths all the time!

@Jack. What potential does this have for someone suffering from major schizophrenia? My brother has gone through a range of medications with not one benefit. It gets worse by the month. From your comment above, he was in a car accident and sure he suffered brain damage from it, but the docs want nothing to do with it and refuse to check this out.

Trying to get him to follow something will be a problem ('demons' as he calls it). Strange thing is that he refuses to eat (i can get him to maybe eat something at dinner), except for chocolate/sweets before he sleeps. And he used to take cold showers and baths all the time!

I am glad that you stated that "no question is stupid if it leads to a new clarity", because I need some clarity on this issue. My normal body temperature runs just a little over 96 degrees and has most of my adult life. I am considering adding the CT portion of the Leptin RX to my routine, but I am uncertain at what water temperature to start with since my body temperature is already a little on the low side. I am sorry to keep asking this same question.

I am glad that you stated that "no question is stupid if it leads to a new clarity", because I need some clarity on this issue. My normal body temperature runs just a little over 96 degrees and has most of my adult life. I am considering adding the CT portion of the Leptin RX to my routine, but I am uncertain at what water temperature to start with since my body temperature is already a little on the low side. I am sorry to keep asking this same question.

Dr K, Interesting morning in clinic….. our patients have embraced your blog and we have a waiting room full of avid readers after the receptionist posted your blog on our waiting room screen. Many settled in for an extra 30mins to be involved in a waiting room discussion all asking each other questions. ( the receptionist had to ask them to leave we were out of room).

@Dr M&M sounds like we need to do a skype Q & A at some point. That is why so much of the criticism I get is puzzling. People can do this from home and see if it is FOS…….and the more serious can test. No one gets hurt and no one is making cash off of it but I a an asshole for sharing it? Got to love the Paleo 2.0 crowd. Says they need their dogma more than they want their telomeres.

Dr K, Interesting morning in clinic….. our patients have embraced your blog and we have a waiting room full of avid readers after the receptionist posted your blog on our waiting room screen. Many settled in for an extra 30mins to be involved in a waiting room discussion all asking each other questions. ( the receptionist had to ask them to leave we were out of room).

@Dr M&M sounds like we need to do a skype Q & A at some point. That is why so much of the criticism I get is puzzling. People can do this from home and see if it is FOS…….and the more serious can test. No one gets hurt and no one is making cash off of it but I a an asshole for sharing it? Got to love the Paleo 2.0 crowd. Says they need their dogma more than they want their telomeres.

@Dexter, I'm very interested in your Fish Oil protocol as it is very similar to the dosage used in feeding "raw" to dogs. I have a couple of questions: did you ever experience loose stools? and what was your starting weight? Thx!

@Dexter, I'm very interested in your Fish Oil protocol as it is very similar to the dosage used in feeding "raw" to dogs. I have a couple of questions: did you ever experience loose stools? and what was your starting weight? Thx!

"@Shilohman I am a red head and allways burned as a kid. I went paleo before last summer and didnt use sunblock the whole summer and didnt burn either."

The issue for me isn't the burn – it's the aging. UV is horribly aging. Look at Brigitte Bardot, noted sun worshipper. Her once beautiful face has slid to her armpits. Her cheeks sit near her chin and are covered with crevasses. I'll happily supplement Vit D3, but I won't stand to look like Bardot does now. There must be a middle way. 🙂

I have noticed better sleep but not yet optimal with CT. I have had bi-phasic sleep pattern for a long time and I am attempting to regulate my internal circadian rhythm by sunlight on the eyes at first light, still eat BAB within 30 min of getting up and turning off internal lights when the sun goes down and using red safety glasses to minimize neolithic light to my eyes at night…along with F lux on my computer. I want the CT to fix any remaining leaky gut problems, regulate my thyroid hormones to get them optimal. And I want my genes to know that I respect them and that they can expect a CT experience every evening.

I have noticed better sleep but not yet optimal with CT. I have had bi-phasic sleep pattern for a long time and I am attempting to regulate my internal circadian rhythm by sunlight on the eyes at first light, still eat BAB within 30 min of getting up and turning off internal lights when the sun goes down and using red safety glasses to minimize neolithic light to my eyes at night…along with F lux on my computer. I want the CT to fix any remaining leaky gut problems, regulate my thyroid hormones to get them optimal. And I want my genes to know that I respect them and that they can expect a CT experience every evening.

@ shiloman I have worked outdoors my entire 51 year life and used sunblock and never took off my shirt. I have fair skin and would burn. Last June I went paleo and spent the summer working in the sun with no sunblock and no shirt and I didn't get sunburned at all. Amazing.

@ shiloman I have worked outdoors my entire 51 year life and used sunblock and never took off my shirt. I have fair skin and would burn. Last June I went paleo and spent the summer working in the sun with no sunblock and no shirt and I didn't get sunburned at all. Amazing.

Hi Dr K! Thanks for all your wisdom. I've taken cold showers for a while now, but recently I started your cold thermogenesis protocol. Started slowly with ice water to the face, all went well. During this last week I moved onto ice packs on my midsection, held in place by a spanx type compression garment. All went fine at the time, skin turned pink and it felt refreshing. Did 3 45 min sessions on consecutive days. No more since then.

Now a few days later, the midsecion area is slightly tender to the touch, and it feels like it has been bruised. Is this normal and does this indicate bad Omega 3/6 balance in my tissues? Will hold off on the icing for now until the soreness goes away.

@Susan, I also have normally low temps and started with cool showers, face dunks, adapting very slow. As I tolerate then I make the water a little cooler each time. Skin should be pink and maybe shiver a little bit. Just take it slow. I never measured the temp, just go to the edge of what my body can tolerate each time.

@Susan, I also have normally low temps and started with cool showers, face dunks, adapting very slow. As I tolerate then I make the water a little cooler each time. Skin should be pink and maybe shiver a little bit. Just take it slow. I never measured the temp, just go to the edge of what my body can tolerate each time.

@Cavemam I think there is a time relationship to expose and body fat ratio but I do not know what it is because if you stay with protocol it happens in mammals. They naturally do it and so do we if you expose ourselves slowly as nature would.

@Cavemam I think there is a time relationship to expose and body fat ratio but I do not know what it is because if you stay with protocol it happens in mammals. They naturally do it and so do we if you expose ourselves slowly as nature would.

Is there any point in taking a couple short, ~15 min, walks every day outside in the the cold, ~40, breezy mizzle of the Pacific NW? Or is 15 minutes too short of a period and that coming back in to a warm office would negate any positive effects? (Obviously once we get to warmer weather it won't be an option any more.)

I've been doing the leptin rx for almost three weeks, after being on HCG for 6 weeks. I started having eggs for breakfast within the 30 min time frame after getting up. Within minutes of eating eggs–either cooked or raw in a breakfast shake, I felt like someone poured cement into my legs and torso and I wanted to lie down–from which I could hardly get back up again until it wore off. I stopped eating eggs a week ago and since then I have felt great in the morning–eating a different source of protein. Today, I decided to try the egg again. Immediately felt horrible and I started getting hives. I've never had allergies before. Is this part of the reset? I also wonder if I am getting close to leptin sensitive. I fit all the criteria pretty closely. I lifted weights the other day and was very surprised that I wasn't sore the next day–I usually am after doing weights. I'm not really losing weight on the scale, but my clothes are getting bigger. I've been doing CT for over a week. What do you think of these Cold Tubs that athletes use for repairing injuries and muscles? Seems like it would be perfect for CT.

I've been doing the leptin rx for almost three weeks, after being on HCG for 6 weeks. I started having eggs for breakfast within the 30 min time frame after getting up. Within minutes of eating eggs–either cooked or raw in a breakfast shake, I felt like someone poured cement into my legs and torso and I wanted to lie down–from which I could hardly get back up again until it wore off. I stopped eating eggs a week ago and since then I have felt great in the morning–eating a different source of protein. Today, I decided to try the egg again. Immediately felt horrible and I started getting hives. I've never had allergies before. Is this part of the reset? I also wonder if I am getting close to leptin sensitive. I fit all the criteria pretty closely. I lifted weights the other day and was very surprised that I wasn't sore the next day–I usually am after doing weights. I'm not really losing weight on the scale, but my clothes are getting bigger. I've been doing CT for over a week. What do you think of these Cold Tubs that athletes use for repairing injuries and muscles? Seems like it would be perfect for CT.

Thank you so much for the response! I have been doing the face dunks (my skin loves it!), and the ice packs on my stomach in the evenings. I've just been a bit anxious about continuing with the baths and not being sure how much to lower my already low body temperature. It's nice to know that there is someone else out there trying the CT that also already has a low temp. 🙂

Thank you so much for the response! I have been doing the face dunks (my skin loves it!), and the ice packs on my stomach in the evenings. I've just been a bit anxious about continuing with the baths and not being sure how much to lower my already low body temperature. It's nice to know that there is someone else out there trying the CT that also already has a low temp. 🙂

Dr.Kruse…..am I understanding it right on the Evolution of the Leptin Reset that the no metal on ears, nose or torso is so there is no risk of frost bite to those areas and that multiple body piercings with either titanium or 24k gold body jewelry would need to be taken out for this?? Just curious before I jump in after dinner =) While they are a pain to put back in I'll do it for hope of reaching Optimal!

Dr.Kruse…..am I understanding it right on the Evolution of the Leptin Reset that the no metal on ears, nose or torso is so there is no risk of frost bite to those areas and that multiple body piercings with either titanium or 24k gold body jewelry would need to be taken out for this?? Just curious before I jump in after dinner =) While they are a pain to put back in I'll do it for hope of reaching Optimal!

I am currently at 11.5% body fat down from 22% using the Leptin Rx. I am hoping to trim down while increasing my athletic performance. I have not got my labs done yet but I am hoping to repair myself on the inside while I am at it. I am trying to cold adapt using air. I work at home and have taken to showering cold in the morning and wearing nothing but a pair of shorts in 55 degree air throughout the day. I get pink in the shower and I get cold and shiver during the day depending on my activity level. I do sleep at night with a blanket so as to not interrupt my sleep. I am starting to get very warm and sweat under the blanket. Assuming I do this long enough will this be enough to produce the adaptations your discussing? Should I be doing this all day long at first? After a few days I have noticed that I am tired and my performance in resistance training has dipped. I assume the shivering and other compensations are burning more calories thus the performance dip. Should I experiment with eating more calories to compensate for the performance decrease or just ride it out and enjoy the additional weight loss effects I presume this will generate? I am guessing that once I am cold adapted my energy level and performance will increase.

I am currently at 11.5% body fat down from 22% using the Leptin Rx. I am hoping to trim down while increasing my athletic performance. I have not got my labs done yet but I am hoping to repair myself on the inside while I am at it. I am trying to cold adapt using air. I work at home and have taken to showering cold in the morning and wearing nothing but a pair of shorts in 55 degree air throughout the day. I get pink in the shower and I get cold and shiver during the day depending on my activity level. I do sleep at night with a blanket so as to not interrupt my sleep. I am starting to get very warm and sweat under the blanket. Assuming I do this long enough will this be enough to produce the adaptations your discussing? Should I be doing this all day long at first? After a few days I have noticed that I am tired and my performance in resistance training has dipped. I assume the shivering and other compensations are burning more calories thus the performance dip. Should I experiment with eating more calories to compensate for the performance decrease or just ride it out and enjoy the additional weight loss effects I presume this will generate? I am guessing that once I am cold adapted my energy level and performance will increase.

@ben read my response to Armi on Performance……max performance comes late 24-36 months…..you can speed it up with water use……air will take really long. Eating more calories is not a good idea……in my view.

Hey, spoiler! I'm going to predict that Factor X is going to be a hormone/vitamin (similar to vitamin-D) that is manufactured during cold exposure. Similar to the opposite of vit-D. So it will probably be stored/consumed in muscles and/or brown adipose tissue and be dependent on high cholesterol and possibly some insulin resistance to get it kick started (i.e. pre-hibernation).

Hey, spoiler! I'm going to predict that Factor X is going to be a hormone/vitamin (similar to vitamin-D) that is manufactured during cold exposure. Similar to the opposite of vit-D. So it will probably be stored/consumed in muscles and/or brown adipose tissue and be dependent on high cholesterol and possibly some insulin resistance to get it kick started (i.e. pre-hibernation).

Thanks so much Jack! I'll do it! It will be worth it in the end and can't risk injury! I'll have to look into some ceramic or plastic body jewelry to use until I'm Optimal or until I decide they aren't worth the effort anymore! Have a fantastic night!

Thanks so much Jack! I'll do it! It will be worth it in the end and can't risk injury! I'll have to look into some ceramic or plastic body jewelry to use until I'm Optimal or until I decide they aren't worth the effort anymore! Have a fantastic night!

Dr. K, Thank you for your response. I intend to use water. I am just trying to get to cold baths and ultimately cold adaptation quicker via supplementation with day long cool air exposure. I guess my question is am I overdoing it thus the performance dip? Should I feel lethargic and see decreased athletic performance if I am doing the acclimatization the way you specified? Are there any other negatives like increased cortisol levels, etc. that I should expect by increasing my exposure to low temps over the short term?

Dr. K, Thank you for your response. I intend to use water. I am just trying to get to cold baths and ultimately cold adaptation quicker via supplementation with day long cool air exposure. I guess my question is am I overdoing it thus the performance dip? Should I feel lethargic and see decreased athletic performance if I am doing the acclimatization the way you specified? Are there any other negatives like increased cortisol levels, etc. that I should expect by increasing my exposure to low temps over the short term?

Will get tested. However upon closer inspection there are a few pink areas, I suspect that it is mild ice burn. Just rubbed in some coconut oil to soothe it. Be careful people! If you are using ice packs, always make sure that there is something between your skin and the ice pack. Also build up slowly.

Jack wanted me to repost a comment I made on his blog (it was in the context of Nora's Paleo Summit talk on the un-safeness of starches- I had also been thinking about the "glucose deficiency" philosophy trend going on with fans of Ray Peat):

People are just not getting it that so many of us are really messed up metabolically and autoimmunity-wise and we can't compare ourselves and diets to Kitavans… we want to optimize our Ice Age genes, not eat sweet potatoes all year.

All I can think when I hear about people eating sugar and taking thyroid hormones trying to get really low TSH and high pulse rate w/ the Ray Peat thing is that they're "speeding" up toward an earlier death, lol! When my pulse rate is 90 (like they say it should be), it's not a good thing…

@Erin I bet none of the "Peat a tarians" would enjoy that telomere test. I have one Peat follower in my practice with a nerve issue…..she was doing well for about 18 months on his diet and since she has hit menopause she has hit a major wall and her nerve issues have gone very south. Her panels look terrible so she is close to cold adapting. I told her when she is ready she could come back in and I would try to help her……she is an estrogen collector on his diet and her progesterone ratios are crashing as here DHEA to cortisol levels are approaching nightmarish levels. Her BDNF and NGF are causing increasing numbness of her extremities. I refused to operate on her, because I think I can fix it without surgery. The diagnosis is easy in this case, but it is not easy when you are not ready to change your dogma.

Jack wanted me to repost a comment I made on his blog (it was in the context of Nora's Paleo Summit talk on the un-safeness of starches- I had also been thinking about the "glucose deficiency" philosophy trend going on with fans of Ray Peat):

People are just not getting it that so many of us are really messed up metabolically and autoimmunity-wise and we can't compare ourselves and diets to Kitavans… we want to optimize our Ice Age genes, not eat sweet potatoes all year.

All I can think when I hear about people eating sugar and taking thyroid hormones trying to get really low TSH and high pulse rate w/ the Ray Peat thing is that they're "speeding" up toward an earlier death, lol! When my pulse rate is 90 (like they say it should be), it's not a good thing…

@Erin I bet none of the "Peat a tarians" would enjoy that telomere test. I have one Peat follower in my practice with a nerve issue…..she was doing well for about 18 months on his diet and since she has hit menopause she has hit a major wall and her nerve issues have gone very south. Her panels look terrible so she is close to cold adapting. I told her when she is ready she could come back in and I would try to help her……she is an estrogen collector on his diet and her progesterone ratios are crashing as here DHEA to cortisol levels are approaching nightmarish levels. Her BDNF and NGF are causing increasing numbness of her extremities. I refused to operate on her, because I think I can fix it without surgery. The diagnosis is easy in this case, but it is not easy when you are not ready to change your dogma.

I learned that lesson the hard way! I decided to "spot treat" my upper arms about 10 days ago while I was watching TV using ice packs. I checked every now and then, but I was not uncomfortable at all and had not noticed that the cloth between me and the ice packs had slipped. Also, as the lighting was a little dim, I thought I was just pink when the skin in contact with the packs was actually white (and like a rock). I got a burn on my left arm that is finally starting to heal. Still a little rough and tender however.

I will be keeping that arm out of the cold baths that I am about to start on until it heals completely. As much as I want that waddle smaller, I have learned my lesson! Go slow people!

I learned that lesson the hard way! I decided to "spot treat" my upper arms about 10 days ago while I was watching TV using ice packs. I checked every now and then, but I was not uncomfortable at all and had not noticed that the cloth between me and the ice packs had slipped. Also, as the lighting was a little dim, I thought I was just pink when the skin in contact with the packs was actually white (and like a rock). I got a burn on my left arm that is finally starting to heal. Still a little rough and tender however.

I will be keeping that arm out of the cold baths that I am about to start on until it heals completely. As much as I want that waddle smaller, I have learned my lesson! Go slow people!

That's ironic about her estrogen! I guess the raw carrots weren't cutting it;)

Peat is so anti-estrogen that it's like he doesn't believe someone could be low in it. I know all too well what happens when your ratio is too high OR when you're not making enough estrogen (hello, sudden, premature aging!)

Did you check her for low B12? I'm convinced it's becoming epidemic, with all the drugs that deplete it and all the autoimmune diseases that cause absorption/methylation issues.

I just got out of my first cold bath. I got the water temperature to 59. I have always been a baby about cold water, so for me, that was a good place to start. I only got the water up to my waist though. Hubby says I was in the water about 20 minutes. I need to go find a skin thermometer. I didn't realize how cold the water was until I went to get out and had to put my feet in to stand up. What is the trick to keeping the feet out of the water when you aren't ready to lay all the way in yet? Honestly, I am such a baby! LOL

Holy cow! it took longer to scroll down to the bottom of these comments than it did for me to read the first third of this post–which is all I have gotten through so far. I am intrigued my the connection between my hot flashes and what I interpret as a norepinephrine roller coaster. before a hot flash I will get an emotional flush or dread/anxiety for about 30 seconds. this is followed by strong thirst AND an urge to pee, sometimes other GI reactions. These also last for about 30 seconds. THEN i have the hot flash which will last for a minute or two. These seem to be tied to some kind of circadian rhythm as they happen predictably at certain times of the day, i.e. 3:45 am AND pm, 6:30 am AND pm, 11 am AND pm. Obviously, I don't take hormones. Going paleo has not changed this one bit, but I do eat berries and drink red wine a few times per week. Anyway, do you have any ideas about the sex hormone/norepinephrine link to the pathways you are discovering?

@Lisa DC yes because you are born as a cold adapted mammal and your are warm adapted in your environment. Sex steroid hormone issues are all tied to dietary and temperature mismatches. Start the CT protocol and watch them vanish. They wont go just going paleo…….Paleo, like CRON, HCG, LS are just small parts of the entire pathway……..to make them all work optimally together they all require cold…….Paleo, will make a C, D, or F to a B………but a B is not an A……..an A is optimal. I do not settle………..I cant say this clearly enough………..do all this in cold and you will all fly to Nashville and kiss me……..your life will change for the better.

Holy cow! it took longer to scroll down to the bottom of these comments than it did for me to read the first third of this post–which is all I have gotten through so far. I am intrigued my the connection between my hot flashes and what I interpret as a norepinephrine roller coaster. before a hot flash I will get an emotional flush or dread/anxiety for about 30 seconds. this is followed by strong thirst AND an urge to pee, sometimes other GI reactions. These also last for about 30 seconds. THEN i have the hot flash which will last for a minute or two. These seem to be tied to some kind of circadian rhythm as they happen predictably at certain times of the day, i.e. 3:45 am AND pm, 6:30 am AND pm, 11 am AND pm. Obviously, I don't take hormones. Going paleo has not changed this one bit, but I do eat berries and drink red wine a few times per week. Anyway, do you have any ideas about the sex hormone/norepinephrine link to the pathways you are discovering?

@Lisa DC yes because you are born as a cold adapted mammal and your are warm adapted in your environment. Sex steroid hormone issues are all tied to dietary and temperature mismatches. Start the CT protocol and watch them vanish. They wont go just going paleo…….Paleo, like CRON, HCG, LS are just small parts of the entire pathway……..to make them all work optimally together they all require cold…….Paleo, will make a C, D, or F to a B………but a B is not an A……..an A is optimal. I do not settle………..I cant say this clearly enough………..do all this in cold and you will all fly to Nashville and kiss me……..your life will change for the better.

First my apology for this lengthy response but may be of interest: For the last 8 months we have been running a trial program for ADD ADHD and AUTISTIC children 130 in total.

From high socio-economic to very low socio-economic backgrounds.

The idea was created after a particularly long day in practice after seeing so many stressed upset teachers wanting or needing to have time off from these children.( imagine how the parents felt) None of this made sense…. when we grew up our teachers were not stressed ( or didn't appear to be) we had only the occasional "naughty child" and that was not in every year of schooling. What was different?

Of course the obvious: diet……..exercise,home life and the list goes on….most were on some form of medication and most had attempted to try diet changes and behavioural strategies… most (90%) with no lasting effect. SO this is what we did..

and this was before we started reading your blog!

1;All children were to be wake up by 5.30am ( summer) 6.30am Winter

2:All children to eat breakfast ( protein-bacon eggs chicken ) spinach,mushrooms avocado- as much as they wanted and then some

3: All children then participated in an early morning exercise program- this was actually walking to school as a group no matter what the weather conditions ( lightning and thunder excepted-have to put this in)

4: A light lunch- this we did not change too much- it appeared to be the most difficult meal for parents and children to want to change. We did not place too many restrictions on lunch except no sugar ie biscuits or juice or flavoured drinks. A bottle of water and piece of fruit was added to a plain sandwhich

5: Same exercise program after school except that the children walked and sprinted home from school in three different groups.

6: NO AFTERNOON TEA NO SNACKS AT ALL

7: The evening meal was ready to go at 4.30 pm and was always meat/eggs and salad or vegetables-

8: 6.30pm BED– most of the children by this stage were already starting to wither and ready to wind down….. room time with a simple activity and ALL were asleep by 7pm until wake up time the next morning.

We were funded by a local charity and sponsored by a local free running egg farm and a bottled water company. One of the parents supplied pesticide free home grown apples( when they were available)

Well we have come to the end of our trial and the results are outstanding…. 100% of children adapted and are all normal children just like ours… naughty at times but not obnoxious… the teachers are not stressed and the PARENTS are happy…. all families are keeping to the program now that we have finished the trial with regular weekly checkups…we were criticised for not adding in fish oils and a multitude of other supplements and regimen, but the whole idea behind this trial was to do something that was sustainable and affordable by all families…. this we achieved and not only are all the children continuing on so are the parents and the teachers..

They sleep well…sun down to sun up… they exercise…walk and sprint(play and laugh) they eat protein for breakfast and 93 of the families reported that their children ate only 1/3 of their lunch… they ate well at dinner and all of it and no snack in between…

Parents all reported that they saved money… on their food bill…

All parents read your blog… many ask questions but only to have another parent give them the answer…. the most common answer I heard this evening at support group was "go back and re read section….of Dr Kruse blog its all there"

I awaited the CT4 with such an excitement. I read it few times already and I have been following the comments for 2 days now.

I think the confusion is perpetuated still.

"CRON, HCG, AND the COLD formed the HOLY TRINITY." Only to find out that HCG is not needed. Then, We found out that strict paleo and cold would do it.

Then, you still do not explain the CT as protocol. No case studies. No Examples of exposure .. No expectations of results based on dosage and time frames.

Why are you doing this? You sounded very logical and coherent on the plaeosummit podcast. I love the human interest side notes in your writings but the scientific message is drowned in the spiral logic.

I sure do hope that you have good editors for your books.

Sigh. I am very grateful for what you do and all the knowledge I accumulated through your posts but, I am disappointed a little ..

I, like many here, ventured into your site and others like it, looking for the way to save my life. I am scared, stressed and ill.

I need to have a clear point of reference. I can get my telemer length examined. It costs a month salary and I doubt it exists.

So, please Dr.K, please post the CT practice guide as if we were 5 years old. Let the discussion be about that. We shouldn't have to sift through 400 comments for the nuggets. We shouldn't have to guess how things works.

I awaited the CT4 with such an excitement. I read it few times already and I have been following the comments for 2 days now.

I think the confusion is perpetuated still.

"CRON, HCG, AND the COLD formed the HOLY TRINITY." Only to find out that HCG is not needed. Then, We found out that strict paleo and cold would do it.

Then, you still do not explain the CT as protocol. No case studies. No Examples of exposure .. No expectations of results based on dosage and time frames.

Why are you doing this? You sounded very logical and coherent on the plaeosummit podcast. I love the human interest side notes in your writings but the scientific message is drowned in the spiral logic.

I sure do hope that you have good editors for your books.

Sigh. I am very grateful for what you do and all the knowledge I accumulated through your posts but, I am disappointed a little ..

I, like many here, ventured into your site and others like it, looking for the way to save my life. I am scared, stressed and ill.

I need to have a clear point of reference. I can get my telemer length examined. It costs a month salary and I doubt it exists.

So, please Dr.K, please post the CT practice guide as if we were 5 years old. Let the discussion be about that. We shouldn't have to sift through 400 comments for the nuggets. We shouldn't have to guess how things works.

@ BobS ditto I hope everyone who reads my blog reads this……..its why science often is slow to change the world. It also helps explain to you why I chase change my way………our species needs it fast. http://www.jstor.org/pss/1575103

I am curious to know whether niacinamide has any place in the CT protocol — good, bad, irrelevant?

I ask because Peat's followers talk about using it as a heat generator (not to mention that it supposedly improves blood sugar regulation, neurological problems, and more — although Paul Jaminet says to avoid it because it feeds bacterial infections).

I am curious to know whether niacinamide has any place in the CT protocol — good, bad, irrelevant?

I ask because Peat's followers talk about using it as a heat generator (not to mention that it supposedly improves blood sugar regulation, neurological problems, and more — although Paul Jaminet says to avoid it because it feeds bacterial infections).

People should realize that Dr. K likes to experiment and knows that everyone has personal tweaks in their programme for Optimal. He lays out guidelines and advice in a way that people can use as a framework/foundation. The use of testing is supposed to make people be able to tweak his program to suit their needs. For those who can't test, I think that's where reading comments etc. helps. If you see trends where people have similar symptoms to you and also provide their test results, you with some level of confidence can use that to help you along. —However, I realize not everyone has mindset of a scientist. The way they think is just a little different and sometimes this leads to them struggling and 'looking for answers'.

O.M.G…all I can say is how am I supposed to go to bed early when I come on this blog and there is SO MUCH good information I need to read! It's like I've pulled a thread and I have to keep going. I came here after hearing your podcast on Paleosummit and got interested in the Leptin Reset. I turned to hcg to lose weight after dieting and exercise started failing me (I lost 20 pounds doing P90X and then had several big life stressors and ended up with gastric ulcers. After my EGD, I started gaining weight at a rate of a pound a week and no amount of exercising helped). Now I lost the weight but my life revolves around food and weighing and thinking about when the next meal is. No way to live at all. I have started doing the Leptin Reset but realize now that I have bigger fish to fry. I also have Hashimoto's and symptoms of adrenal fatigue which has brought me round to your leaky gut RX. I am hearing the cues to go read about CT but I have been avoiding it (because my mind says "I hate the cold" – yes, this is why you say empty your mind). I will get there next. I must admit that reading your blog is very difficult. I don't know if it's the brain fog or if I really am losing IQ points but a lot of it seems "over my head." I may have to take a few days off of work (or at least off of my "busy" stuff) to really read through this. For me, bottom line appears to be no eggs, no nightshades, no dairy, no gluten, no sugar, no caffiene. BAB. Go to bed early. Meat, veggie, fish, bone broth. Supplements I am considering are DGL and KeVita Probiotic Drink. And read the CT blog. Fix the gut and let the adrenals and thyroid correct themselves.

@Jennifer and for everyone else………to get the most out of my blogs here is some friendly advice. To get the best information from the blog you must study it and not just read it. Go through each one of them like your lawyer would go through your biggest contracts you have for clients. Really consider it, understand the implications, work with it in real time, and then you will become one with the essence of it…….your results then will be your beacon or North Star to optimal health. The answers are all in this Quilt. That I promise.

O.M.G…all I can say is how am I supposed to go to bed early when I come on this blog and there is SO MUCH good information I need to read! It's like I've pulled a thread and I have to keep going. I came here after hearing your podcast on Paleosummit and got interested in the Leptin Reset. I turned to hcg to lose weight after dieting and exercise started failing me (I lost 20 pounds doing P90X and then had several big life stressors and ended up with gastric ulcers. After my EGD, I started gaining weight at a rate of a pound a week and no amount of exercising helped). Now I lost the weight but my life revolves around food and weighing and thinking about when the next meal is. No way to live at all. I have started doing the Leptin Reset but realize now that I have bigger fish to fry. I also have Hashimoto's and symptoms of adrenal fatigue which has brought me round to your leaky gut RX. I am hearing the cues to go read about CT but I have been avoiding it (because my mind says "I hate the cold" – yes, this is why you say empty your mind). I will get there next. I must admit that reading your blog is very difficult. I don't know if it's the brain fog or if I really am losing IQ points but a lot of it seems "over my head." I may have to take a few days off of work (or at least off of my "busy" stuff) to really read through this. For me, bottom line appears to be no eggs, no nightshades, no dairy, no gluten, no sugar, no caffiene. BAB. Go to bed early. Meat, veggie, fish, bone broth. Supplements I am considering are DGL and KeVita Probiotic Drink. And read the CT blog. Fix the gut and let the adrenals and thyroid correct themselves.

@Jennifer and for everyone else………to get the most out of my blogs here is some friendly advice. To get the best information from the blog you must study it and not just read it. Go through each one of them like your lawyer would go through your biggest contracts you have for clients. Really consider it, understand the implications, work with it in real time, and then you will become one with the essence of it…….your results then will be your beacon or North Star to optimal health. The answers are all in this Quilt. That I promise.

Lisa DC, in my case eating paleo stopped all hot flashes, for a few months. They came creeping back, though with much less adrenalin-pumping severity. Then I started taking supplements like CoQ10, PQQ, krill, etc, and they decreased even more. But the flashes, now just gentle, warm flashes, continued for about a year, about once/day.

I've been gradually introducing CT for almost 2 weeks, and with your comment I've realized that I haven't experienced any warm flashes for several days now. Oh wow! I sure hope this is a trend!! Thanks Dr. Jack!

@PR51 they eat their starches in season……there are none in winter. I think people are missing the point……they live in a cold adapted place and eat by seasons……..that is the key to their success. The Optimal mammalian diet is a ketogenic paleo template……tha means you need lots of seafood. On our planet there is no one eating this way now that Inuits have been polluted by the SAD. There are no humans native to the south pole……..So, I am saying sherpa's can even do better……if they ate a ketogenic version of their diet……one problem. There is no access to Coconut Oil or to fish there because of their location. But we in the western world can recreate our natural habitat and you can test your self and numbers as you cold adapt……and you will see what I know. The results will shock you. Its the ultimate personal bio hack.

They are pretty remote…….so they adapted to a season diet. But they have the most important part of the Trinity down……..COLD. It opens the pathway in the brain.

The book, The Wheel of Health: The Sources of Long Life and Health Among the Hunza, was written by a British Army Dr around the early 1900s. In it he details several feats of amazing strength, endurance, and robustness of the mountain people. He did not know about the cold adaptation, but discussed their diet, lifestyle, soil, etc. One Hunza man covered 65 miles in the mountain passes to secure a horse stolen from his family. He showed up on Monday and was ready for a full week of work.

The book, The Wheel of Health: The Sources of Long Life and Health Among the Hunza, was written by a British Army Dr around the early 1900s. In it he details several feats of amazing strength, endurance, and robustness of the mountain people. He did not know about the cold adaptation, but discussed their diet, lifestyle, soil, etc. One Hunza man covered 65 miles in the mountain passes to secure a horse stolen from his family. He showed up on Monday and was ready for a full week of work.

"after your fix yourself you fix your family and friends…….We are going to change the world."

I'm on board. For the first time ever I think, I woke at dawn today without an alarm clock and not because of a "I can't sleep well" restlessness, but my body was simply saying, Get up and be Productive. That sort of energy that time of day, WhAT??? This is after a week or so of some subtle but potentially powerful tweaks. Ok let's see how far this can go. Still brainstorming on how to do arctic blasted lifting sessions lol. I want my sleep back for good.

"after your fix yourself you fix your family and friends…….We are going to change the world."

I'm on board. For the first time ever I think, I woke at dawn today without an alarm clock and not because of a "I can't sleep well" restlessness, but my body was simply saying, Get up and be Productive. That sort of energy that time of day, WhAT??? This is after a week or so of some subtle but potentially powerful tweaks. Ok let's see how far this can go. Still brainstorming on how to do arctic blasted lifting sessions lol. I want my sleep back for good.